Arachna-Power!
by pokeheroaadyn
Summary: This is my first ever fanfic, so please review and be honest about it! My OC is suddenly sent from Earth to the Inner World, kinda like Hunter. Unlike him, he's not there on purpose, and the only guide is his memories of the show! Here's to hoping he'll last longer than 1 hour.
1. Arrival

Author note: This is my first ever fanfic, so please give me feedback. I know that not a lot of people will see this one since Spider Riders hasn't been on the air for years, but still, I like that show, so it's where I'll start.

"Ugh... My head feels like it got used as an anvil by Thor on steroids" I said. Introductions are probably in order. Name's Aadyn, I'm 15, near 6 feet, have long shaggy black hair, brown eyes, freckles. I'm a bit round at the center, but I'm strong and faster than I look. I'm no idiot either. I've got about a dozen scars, nothing crazy, just cuts and scrapes. Oh, I also have 2 birthmarks on the left side of my face, one at the jaw line, the other makes people think I've got a black eye. Now, back to what's happening.

I stood up, then looked around. "Well, this sure isn't my house. Doesn't look like the woods I know either. Think dimwit!" Snaps fingers, then almost bends double as I realize what's next. "I really, really hate heights. Oh just climb already you coward! I'm not climbing a tree, I suck at climbing! Besides, I'm in pajamas rememb...er?" I had looked down and realized I wasn't in my pajamas but my sleeveless tapout shirt, one of my pairs of blue athletic shorts, and my school shoes, even my necklaces, the one my aunt Bethany had made with a cool stone and some copper wire that I'd added on to with a glass disk-shaped bead that glows in the dark, plus the other one, which had turned out to be a locket that I'd bought at the some art festival whose name I can't remember in Dallas. "OK, what's going on here? Won't know till you climb. Then we'll have an idea where we are." I guess some of this monologue is confusing you. I have a bad habit of talking to myself. Too much time alone. "Fine, I'm climbing."

I struggled a bit, but there were loads of branches, big ones, close together too. Even I couldn't mess this up. When I got to the top I looked around.

The terrain was pretty basic, but something was odd. These trees were not ill the ones near home. Besides that, they were HUGE! No way greedy scum like illegal logging workers would resist this. Then I spotted something moving. "What's that?" It was pretty far away, but getting closer, stopping just outside the forest. It was a person, a girl I think, with black hair and a slim build. I almost called out to her, but then thought better of it. For all I knew, she was trouble, which I could ill afford at the moment. Then she saw something and waved, yelling out "There you are Igneous! I've been looking everywhere!" Igneous? As he drew closer I blinked and looked again. No way. He looked just like Igneous from Spider Riders! There's got to be a way to explain this. "There's one way to see if this is happening." I looked upwards and began scanning the horizon, then saw it. Without a doubt, that was the Oracle Sun! "Whoa!" I yelled, steeping back, forgetting I was in a tree. You can guess what happened next. I fell.

I crashed through branch after branch before hitting the ground. Crud. That was loud. Igneous and that girl will be coming here to investigate. I had to move. I noticed that my footprints could be seen easily. I knew the Spider Riders were good guys, but there'd be questions that I need to get answers for first. I ran away from them for a long way, fast as I could. After a while, I backtracked, stepping more lightly now, looking over my shoulder to avoid tripping. I stopped and jumped off the trail I'd made when I heard voices, hiding in a small hollow at the foot of a tree facing away from them. I could only get partially in, but this way I was less exposed. I heard them pass me. "That was close!" I then got back on the path, making my way to where I'd started, then choosing a new direction, treading carefully to avoid tracks. I had a lot to process, and until I have some answers, it might be better if I stay hidden.

So, what did you all think? Feedback please!


	2. New places, familiar faces

**First off, thanks for what feedback I got. Warning: I'm going to be hanging out at my uncles for a month starting Sunday. And he doesn't have wifi, so I'll add a new chapter to each story, then I'll be gone for a while. Hope you enjoy this one. I think I've managed to improve my writing since the last one, so here's to hoping!**

I kept going on after losing Igneous and his companion. But there was a bit of a problem with that. I didn't exactly have a map, and they were kinda sparing with info on most of the Inner World's geography in the show. Besides that, I was hungry and didn't know what was safe to eat. So yeah, those are two very big issues. You'd think who or whatever had brought me here would have given me supplies, but no of course not!

Wait, there's an idea! I should check my pockets. There may be something in them. Searching left, nothing. Crap. The right? Checking, checking... Jackpot! Something there. Wait. 2 somethings. Alright! First we have... Is this a joke? My earbuds? OK, whoever came up with this idea, not even remotely funny! The other thing? Some kinda weird machine. Kinda looked like a flatter version of my sister's cell phone. I turned it on, and jumped with joy! My playlist! Not much, but I'll take it!

OK, so the reason I'm so excited about my playlist is that most of the songs really boost my spirits. I plugged in my earbuds, then put one in my right ear. I left the left side alone so I could hear if something was nearby. Then, I started it, and laughed at the first song to play. It was the Spider Riders opening! I mumbled the lyrics as I went along, hunger and troubles momentarily forgotten.

(Time skip by 3 hours)

I'd listened to the playlist 3 times, and while it helped, I needed food, and soon! I'd had a light, and early dinner the night before, so I was already a bit low on my reserves. I only have so long before I start taking my chances with the nearby vegetation. Probably within the next minute. Heck, I'd even eat that thorny vine over there!

Then I heard a weird noise, and it wasn't my stomach. I began moving towards it. As I got closer I sped up. That sounded like a person, and I didn't like the implications of that sound. Why? Because the last time I heard a similar noise, my mom had mild pneumonia and I was taking care of her, for how long I don't remember, but this sounded even worse.

I was close when I also heard growling. Well, that's kinda ominous. Time to pick up the pace! Now I was going faster than I ever had in gym, even when we played eliminator tag. I raised my arm to block a limb in front of me, then grabbed it when it broke, tearing off the smaller limbs as I went. Luckily, the branch removal was familiar from my time playing with sticks for my games. Soon I had a crude spear, with the broken part being the head, and it didn't look very nice.

When I got to where the noise was emanating, I saw someone wearing a cloak that was quite ominously red in some spots. Worse, there were 3 wolves moving in! I swung my spear, hitting one in the head as I ran next to it, and heard a sick crunching noise as it collapses, neck at an angle it shouldn't have been. I almost stopped then. The only things I'd ever killed were bugs, and one snake earlier this week, but that's it. Stop it, I told myself, then said out loud, "Time for that later, right now, there's still two more to deal with," then held my spear out in front of me and snarling at them in a way that would have made a rabid grizzly proud. As I did that, I took a look at them. From the way the male was glaring at me, that must have been his mate, and the other wolf seemed to be unsure of what to do, so I'd just killed the alpha female. Well, that made it a bit easier. If I could incapacitate, or at least injure the male, the other one would retreat, rather than fight on.

I readied myself to feint at the other wolf when the alpha scowled at me, then barked. To my surprise, the other wolf stepped back. I got the idea. The alpha was saying, "You're mine. I'll finish you myself," was what I was getting. I turned to him, spear in a two-handed grip, mimicking a stance described in the Stormlight Archive series, vinestance. Meant for quick movements and defensive footing. Perfect in my opinion. The wolf began circling me, looking for an opening. I rotated my feet, ensuring it couldn't get behind me. I guess it got impatient, so it leaped at me, coming from above. Mistake on his part. I slammed the spear upwards into his gut, knocking him over my head, and when he landed, well, cats land on their feet, but dogs? Seems they fall on their backs. I thrust at his exposed stomach, but he was tough. An inch or two pierced him, but he rolled and it broke off from the rest, which was jerked from my hands. He leaped at me again while I was off balance, and went for my throat. Instead, he got a headbutt, right on the snout, and I saw at least one tooth fly free. He fell to the ground, growling weakly, then turned and fled, whimpering, his companion close behind.

When they were gone, I let out a breath I hadn't realized I'd been holding, then turned to the person in the cloak. "Are you OK, or at least conscious?" As I got closer, I saw it was a girl, maybe about 13, who looked kinda familiar... "I'm OK," she said, startling me out of my thoughts, then continued " Thanks for helping me. I was trying to find something of mine when I cut myself after slipping on a rock. The smell must have attracted the wolves. I managed to run for a while, but it made the bleeding worse," That made sense. If she started running, her heart would have been beating faster, which would make her bleed more. The muscles the blood was going to would get on little, and the heart would send even more to compensate. Not a good cycle. "What were you looking for?" I asked. I noticed that part of her cloak had been torn, and I could see some strips wrapped around her torso. Must have bandaged her wound while I was fighting the wolf. Tough kid. Smart too. She already seemed to be getting some color back, and I swear her pink hair and green eyes seemed familiar. "I was looking for my ma- my bracelet. It's really important to me, and rare too. If I lose it, I can't replace it. It has a dome-shaped jewel on it, and it should cover most of my forearm. Will you help me find it?" That description sounded sorta like a manacle. Wait, that's it! "Of course, Princess," I said to Sparkle. That was why she was familiar! Now that's some more info I can use. I think she was 7 or 8 in the show, so it's been about 5 years or so since it ended. Ok, that's good info. "You know who I am?!" She exclaimed. "Your description was a lot like a manacle, and I've seen pictures of you before, so you looked familiar. If you lost your manacle, I guess you can't contact the others, right? Then we'd better find it so someone can take a closer look at your wound. Where do you think it is?"

"It should be somewhere in a clearing over that way, come on," She tried to stand up and almost fell on her face, so I helped her up and began walking in the direction she'd indicated. Soon we reached a large clearing, and near a small pond I saw a rock that judging from the red spots, must have been the one she cut herself on. I saw something flash by a small hill near the pond, and went that way. There, hidden by tall grass, was a manacle. I saw the gem light up, and could hear snoring come from it. Guess Hotarla was taking a nap. Sparkle clasped it on her wrist, and it looked like she was going to call the other Riders, so I began walking away.

"Where are you going?" "I have a lot of questions, and I need some answers. Your friends will probably be here in minutes, and your spider can help keep trouble away till then, so it's time for me to take my leave." was my reply. But of course that wasn't enough. "Well I can't just let you walk off like that after you saved me. I need to pay you back somehow." "A thank you is fine. Besides, I'm not a fan of people, so if you still think saying thanks isn't enough, then how about this. I'd rather you didn't mention me, if they hear about me they won't leave me alone, which is what I'd prefer," I said. "At least take this!" Boy was she stubborn. I turned to say it was fine just in time for a small pouch hit me in the face. I picked it up and heard the clink of coins.. I was going to give it back, but if I did, she'd probably keep bugging me till I went mad. Besides, if I have money, I can buy food. One rule with humans: a bit of cash and anyone will be your friend. I nodded to her, then continued walking away.

 **So, what do you guys think? Good, right? If not, tell me what you think was wrong with it. I'm not sure what will happen next chapter just yet, but I have a month to think about it, and you guys will have the same amount of time to give me pointers. Well, please review. Aadyn, out!**


	3. Getting on my feet

**So, I'm finally back. I'd have this story ready a day or two sooner, but the first attempt got deleted when I took a break. Don't worry, I'll make sure I always save before I even stop to blink. Hopefully I can avoid ever making that mistake again. So, please review! After all, if I don't get input, how can I improve? That's kinda tough without help. I wish my sister would quit singing those bad spoofs from YouTube, but I'm used to it. Anyway, enjoy!**

I wanted to move on and avoid running into anyone looking for Sparkle, but I had to do something first. I went back to clearing where I'd skirmished with the wolves. The dead alpha female's gaze seemed to follow me. I know it was going to make a meal out of Sparkle if I hadn't come in, but... That was just its way to live. Because of me, it's time had come early. True, it would have come eventually, but that's what made it precious. A life matters because of how easily it can be snuffed out. Looking at its torso, I could see the ribs with near sickening ease. It's pack must be starving. Now, with her dead and her mate wounded, perhaps fatally, I'd cut the head off the snake. They may not be able to avoid starvation now. I changed my train of thought as my guilt grew. I buried the wolf and began moving on.

(Time skip: 1 day)

I clutched my sore stomach as I woke up. My first thought was that it served me right for scarfing down those berries I'd found so quickly. I should've eased into it. I'd gone through a day of constant walking with no food or water, of course all that food suddenly in me would startle my stomach! I looked at the large pile next to me in a pouch I'd made from several large leaves. I almost threw up just doing that. I distracted myself by checking the numerous puncture wounds on my fingers from using a thorny vine to hold the pouch together before stripping the thorns. Not a pleasant experience.

I got up and hung the pouch on the end of a thin but sturdy branch. I got back to walking, watching for any sign of civilization. If I was lucky there would be a town nearby. After a while though, I was beginning to worry. Even with their battle spiders, the Spider Riders could take a while to reach different parts of the Inner World. With my luck, I was probably going the opposite direction of the nearest town. I sighed and picked up my pace. There had to be some way to get out of here. It can't go on forever after all!

I'd been running, with some walking whenever I needed to rest, for about half an hour when I heard water. I followed the sound and was greeted with the welcome sight of a river. I drank my fill, then took a look. Often by following water you can reach people. Remember, many cities and towns were built because of easy access to water, so maybe I can find a trading town, or a merchant craft, anything to give me a chance for rest and getting my bearings.

I walked beside the river at first, then changed my mind. If I could use those vines to lash some limbs together, instant raft, and easier travel. I could let the current guide me. But maybe I should have more supplies first. Like more food, and maybe I could set up some sort of anchor and a rudder. The more I thought, the more excited I was to build the raft, and to make it a great one.

First thing I did was gather materials, like some fallen logs that I could roll to the riverside. I also began pulling down vines from the trees for lashing things together. I found a large rock with a hole I could lash one of the vines through for my anchor. I found a few wide, flat pieces of bark I could use for an oar and rudder, with spares.

I know lots of people would get food next, but all I had access to were perishables. I should save that for last, after I made the raft. I began doing just that, although I had to avoid using my left after a log I was getting ready to tie to the others rolled and crushed my hand. Nothing was broken, but YOW! I continued tying the logs together. After I finished, I attached a vine to a protruding branch from one of them as a lead, and put it out on the water. I was kinda surprised it worked. And the smaller limbs I'd lashed to the sides kept most of the water out when it made waves. Alright!

Now I made the anchor, attaching it to the center so I could keep the raft from tipping. I made sure the vine attached to it was strong and thick. Won't do me much good if it's snaps. Now for the rudder. I'd found a stick that made an L shape, the bottoms of the L going above my outer wall, and the longer portion going in the water, through a loop of vine attached to the walls. Once I tied on one of the pieces of bark, I was in business! I attached the lead to a tree and used the rudder, developing a feel for it. I'm no Hal from Brotherband, but I think I did pretty well. I hauled in the lead, and beached my ship.

Finally, food. I looked for more berries like the ones I had. There were a few bushes, but not enough. Then I felt something fall on my head. Looking up, I saw fruit that looked like the one Magma gave Hunter when they first met to see if it was ripe. I picked up the one that had hit me, and took a bite from the side that hadn't hit the ground. It was delicious! I wiped off the dirt and finished it, then began ramming the tree to knock more down. I caught some, and picked up the rest. With the berries, I'll be set for a couple of days.

I loaded them on board and thought of something. I needed to name my raft. Now, what to call it? I thought of the book I'd been rereading before I got here, Rise of the Black Wolf. So, I'd name the ship _The Roving Templar!_ The Templar Knights were an amazing group, filled with warriors, architects, explorers, all kinds of people. Their near extinction when betrayed by a (I think he was French) king is why Friday the 13th is so infamous. Rumors are, Columbus was a Templar and actually knew about America when he "discovered" it. As for the roving bit, well, that means I'm a wanderer, which is true. Until I get home, or make a new one here, I'm a rover. So, the name fit pretty well I'd say!

I untied the lead and used my oar to push the Templar out into the center of the stream. Keeping a hold of the rudder, I managed to avoid the occasional rock. I'm pretty sure the Templar is sound, but I'm not an expert. I don't know if it could take a direct hit. And what if one of the rocks cut the vines holding it together? Either way, it wouldn't end well, so I won't take that risk.

I was getting thirsty so I reached out a hand and got a palmful of water, and smiled when I drank it. This wasn't half bad. A nice day, food and water close by, a break for my sore feet, added on to the pleasant ride and my pride for making the Templar, all made it near impossible to not be happy.

"Maybe I should just stick to the waterways when I can, keeping the Templar, making it better whenever I can. But then, what about me finding out why I'm here and if I can go home?" As I said that I realized I still had no idea about how this happened. And why would I have a weird-what are they called? iPods?- with my playlist in my pocket too?

As I thought, the easier answer came to me. "The songs there keep my spirits up. It must be so I have the spirit to not break under all the pressure. Makes sense to me at least. Wait, what's that?"

It was a town, dead ahead! Great! I pulled into the port, getting some weird looks for my homemade watercraft. I tied the lead to a post and got up on the docks, looking around. I stopped a friendly looking fisherman. "Is there a market here I can visit? I could use some supplies," he pointed to a nearby part of town, then went back to his business with a quick wave goodbye.

I bought new clothes first. Normally I hate clothes shopping, but I kinda stand out in this outfit. I got clothes like what everyone around me wore, but with more pockets and waterproof materials. After that I got a knife and bow with about 20 arrows from a weapon smith. I lingered there a bit. See, I've wanted to be a blacksmith for years. That made it tough for me to leave.

I was going to buy some more food, but I accidentally bumped into someone about my age, and he hit the girl next to him while she looked at some fruit. Sadly, she didn't notice I'd pushed him and thought he'd just hit her for no reason. "We are through, you jerk!" Ah, crud. Before either one of us could try to explain, she was gone. I tried to follow so I could tell her what happened (Hey, I'm not going to be responsible for ruining two people's love lives!) but he stopped me.

"You moron! I bet you did that on purpose so you can make a move on her, right?" Huh? No way! Before I could tell him he had it all wrong, he hit me in the eye. "Ow! Wait, I wasn-" Another punch, this time on my jaw. I'd had enough, so I swung back. If I could get him to stop for just a second, I could explain and apologize. He bent over as the air rushed out of his lungs. He swung a leg up between my legs and I fell to my knees. The next hit was from his elbow on the back of my neck. I guess he thought it would stun me, but I don't go down that easy. I kicked my leg out and spun, knocking him to the ground, and the stall he landed on went with him! I tried to help put the food back, but he hit me again on my back. Wrong place, I've got a thick hide there. I slammed my head up and back, hitting him in the chin, felling him.

"What's going on here?!" Behind me I saw a girl my age coming our way. I realized it was the same one who'd been with Igneous. Worse, the manacle confirmed it. She was a Spider Rider! Her hair was dark blue, as well as her clothes. While they looked like they were made from pricey materials, they were the same style as the ones I'd bought. She was tall, about my height, and had a tan. In contrast to her cool color theme, she had light green eyes. They settled on the guy I'd just fought, and she began to look madder than my sister when she thought I'd taken her Bagel Bites.

"What did you do to my friend?" Whoa, boy. Next thing I knew, I had to jump aside when she tried to hit me. I ducked the next hit, then grabbed some food and left money for it, probably more than it cost too. I ran back to the Templar and placed my new gear onboard, letting the current take me.

I looked back, and saw the girl lift her manacle, releasing a light blue and white spider. Uh oh! I began paddling with my oar, stretching my lead while I could. Up ahead I saw a curve in the river, but before I could change course, I went through what I'd thought was a hill by the riverside. It was actually a cave, with plants covering the entrance. Hopefully she would think I'd kept going. I froze when I heard her just above the cave entrance.

"Do you see him, Glace? Anywhere? That raft could really move if he lost us like that. But once we find him, he's dead!" I gulped. She meant business. Then I heard the spider, Glace, begin talking.

"I'm sorry Umbra, but we've lost him. Besides, maybe he did you a favor. After all, you've been hoping Magnus and Ruby would break up for a while now so you could try to get close to him, remember?" Wait, so she liked that guy? No wonder she was so steamed!

"You're right Glace, but still. Did you see what he did to Magnus? That guy could be dangerous. Next time we see him, we take him to Lumen, just in case," I waited until I heard them moving on, the let out the breath I'd been holding. I'd stay in the cave until tomorrow so they wouldn't spot me, then be back on my way.

 **So, that's chapter 3. Hope you guys liked it. New pieces of the story with the Roving Templar and Umbra, both of which I kinda liked personally. I know it's been a while, but I'm back from Alabama and I've got some new ideas while I was gone, including some new stories I'll start next week. Until my next chapter, see ya!**


	4. Madness, all of it!

**Sorry it's taken so long to post this. This is my first story, yeah, though I'm having trouble thinking up what happens, since unlike a fair few of my works, I am doing this story from scratch. But, no excuses. So, on to the next chapter!**

I waited about an hour before relaxing. At this point, there's no way that girl is still out there. But that is my kind of luck, getting on the bad side of a Spider Rider, for getting in an argument with the guy she likes! Sometimes I really, really HATE my life!

As I started to paddle the Templar out of the cave, a flash hit my eyes. "Yowch! What in the bloody blue blazes was that?" Finding the source, I turned the tiller towards the cave wall, and looked closely. There was a flash of turquoise, embedded in the rock a bit above the water level.

I thumped my fist on the stone, and noticed some crumbling away. Soft. Looking at my anchor, an idea sprang into my mind. Grabbing it, I dropped into the water, kicking back up before the vine that attached it to the ship could snap, or any of the Templar got dragged under, maybe even broken.

I wasn't a master carpenter, and me doing what good I did, well... That was just because I'd seen a few things on TV, like Legend of Mick Dodge, and the fact that I sometimes made little boats out of random stuff from around my house.

Keeping myself afloat, I started hitting the anchor on the wall around my target. As pieces came loose, I would pull out the more stubborn ones, occasionally using the gaps as handholds to give my legs a break. Slowly, it began to come loose.

 _Down, far below the surface, something stirred. It felt something... Moving, in the water. Uncoiling from the depths of the cave, it felt the water churning far above. Suddenly, the movement stopped, and it saw the source climbing out of the water, onto something that began moving out of the cave. Baring long, sharp teeth, it cut through the water. It would not be deprived of food after all this time._

I looked at the object I'd removed from the wall. It was in rough shape, and needed some cleaning up. The only clear detail was the large crystal that had caught my attention.

As I bent down to place it in my bag, something struck the ship from below, knocking it a bit out of the water. I fell over, and some of my food went over the edge, into the water. Getting back up, I saw a trail in the water, heading to my lost provisions. I couldn't see what it was.

The water was deceptively deep, and the plants blocking the entrance to the cave made it even darker. Realizing that what was down there probably isn't a vegetarian, I leaned back from the edge. Looking at where the ship had been struck, I realized that another hit would put a hole in it. If that happens...

Not an option. I will not be fish food! I carved at the end of an extra paddle I'd set up, forming a sharp point. I've always been good at quick hand movements, which has been a blessing for most of my games, and though I wasn't highly fond of it, made me ok at typing. Now it was making the process much easier. Hefting the paddle turned spear, I looked around. I had to stay on the ship. If I went into the water, I would be in this thing's home territory, and wouldn't be able to strike very hard either.

What could it be? To hit like that, it's gotta be big for one. And fast too, considering how quickly it went after my food. My train of thought was cut off as I saw it swim to the far side of the cave, then turn and begin swimming towards me at ramming speed. Crud! I gripped the paddle and got ready to thrust. Only one shot at this... "Come on, then!"

I stabbed at the water and felt it connect, but then whatever it was latched on and yanked the paddle out of my hands. "Snapdragons!" I grabbed my knife. Please let this work... I saw the water beginning to grow cloudy and pinkish. At least I managed a hit. It swam past me again, trying to taunt me, and I swung wildly, grazing it. As an afterthought, I hurled a chunk of wood at it as well, and missed. Well, I never was very good at throwing. Wait...

"This had better work..." Wrapping several vines around my left arm, along with some of my old clothes, I put it in the water and began making small circles. "Come on, you subpar chunk of sushi. Snack time." It darted at my submerged arm, and I prayed the vines and fabric would be enough. The creature sank its teeth into it, and I felt them begin to penetrate my skin as well, then stopped. Heaving my arm out of the water, I managed to drag my adversary partway out, and thrust my knife into an eye, then out the other side, piercing its brain. It grew limp, and I looked at it. An eel of some kind. I placed my knife between the teeth and my improvised bracer, then pried the jaws apart, and it sank back down. Finally!

Looking at my ship, I realized I would need to do some repair if I stopped tonight. Shaking my head, I paddled to the pieces of wood that had fallen in the water and put them back onboard, the exited the cave. Now which way?

If I follow the current, I may run into... I think her name was Umbra. After all, that's the way she went. But if I go back towards town, there's too much a chance someone will see and recognize me, besides the issue of going back into that forest. Well, current it is. I'll just have to hope I can manage to avoid her if she is still in the area.

Turning the tiller, I let it sweep me away. Now... My arm. I unwrapped it, and winced. Besides hurting, that was a fair bit of blood. I looked at my supplies, and cut a strip from one of the shirts I'd bought, and wrapped it around my wound. When I stop, I'll boil some water and clean the bandage, then put it back on. As for avoiding infection, I'll have to hope the water will be enough. I don't know any medicinal plants here, and I don't have any peroxide.

Laying down, I decided to just let my mind wander. Gradually, a daydream formed, and I smiled. "Silver lining to the dark clouds." I considered listening to my music, then decided against it. I needed to listen, just in case. I was in new territory, with not all of it friendly.

The sun was beginning to go down, so I beached the Templar and removed some supplies, making sure to place the anchor onshore so I wouldn't have to build a new ship. First thing I did was grab some fallen wood and begin finding ways that I could use them to strengthen the damaged sections. I used mud to cement them together a bit. True, it will get washed off, but the bits that dry can help hold it together. While I did this, a small fire was heating a pot of water so I could clean my makeshift bandage.

Once the water began to steam, I removed the bandage and placed it inside. Since I was doing that, I wouldn't be able to cook any food until after I finish boiling it and getting fresh water, so instead I grabbed some bread and a couple fruits. "Cold rations for tonight... Well, enjoy!"

But as I said that, I remembered something. I read a lot of books based around Medieval eras, and lots of things from various fighters' perspectives. Usually when they ate cold rations, it was because they were avoiding detection and a fire could... lead someone right to them! "You idiot!"

I used a stick to remove the bandage, then tipped the pot over so the water poured over the fire, extinguishing it. But now my problem still wasn't over... A decent tracker could tell how long my fire had been cold, and it didn't take a master to see the marks from my ship and anchor...

"Ugh... At home, I could just leave a false trail on my search history and dye my hair or something like that if I was on the run." No, that is not from personal experience. I'd just daydream about it from time to time, and plan as if I really intended to run. Helps make the image more immersive. "Here, I have to master hiding a trail... I got lucky before with Igneous and Umbra, but they don't rely on fancy tech to do a job here. They actually know what they're doing, and I don't. I am a hopeless buffoon of a fugitive." Sighing, I reapplied my bandages and shoved the Templar back into the river. I'll just have to keep moving. "This is gonna be a long night..."

Tearing a chunk off some of the bread, I ate it and set the rest aside. Slowly, the distant light of the sun faded away, allowing the first of the stars to reveal themselves. Stifling a yawn, I took my hand off the tiller for a moment to see what would happen. Immediately the ship turned to the left, and I corrected the course. If I'm going to get any sleep, I need to avoid a shipwreck while I'm doing so. Tying a vine around the tiller, I left it alone for a few minutes, and stayed on course. Nice. "Now," I said as I put in my earbuds, "time for some shut eye." Now, I've mentioned that the songs boost my spirits, and some make me super excited, get the heart going like a bellows. Well, something I recently noticed about myself is that I get sleepy when I'm like that. I know, weird, but it's true. As such, it wasn't long before my muscles relaxed and I was sawing logs like a lumberjack.

 **(Umbra's POV)**

I stretched my arms behind my back and pulled my hands together, squeezing my shoulder blades and loosening some of my sore muscles. "I should've brought a bedroll when we followed that guy. Or at least have you make a hammock, Glace." I sighed. "I don't understand how he could have lost us, though."

Glace's voice sounded from my manacle. "I'm not sure, Umbra. Maybe we should go back to town and see what he'd been up to before the issue started." Groaning, I am really not a morning person, I began heading back to the river so that Glace wouldn't have to do so much. However, once I reached it the ground began to shake.

"What the? What's going on?! Earthquake? Flash flood?" But then I realized the ground wasn't shaking as much as I'd thought, and there was a rhythm to it. Something was coming down the river, and I realized it was just someone snoring inhumanly loudly.

"Sounds like your snoring to me." I jerked the manacle up close to my face and began yelling at Glace.

"Excuse me? I do NOT snore, and certainly not like that!" All I got in response was a chuckle. By now I could see the craft quite clearly, and realized it was the one that boy had escaped on. "Glace, it's him!"

I grabbed a long branch and managed to hook the side of it. I pulled it ashore and looked in. He was sleeping all curled up, surrounded by supplies. I realized most of it seemed to have been thrown together by some amateur. "He's lucky he didn't sink the moment he got on this thing..."

Looking more closely, I realized he had a strip of cloth tied on his arm that was stained red, and he had some kind of wires going into his ears. They were attached to a little machine not far from him. I stepped on and looked at it, not sure what it was. I saw the wires were plugged into it, and pulled them out. Instantly, loud music and lyrics began blaring out from it. Something about taking a chance. Soon it ended and another one began. I had to stop a gasp. It was about the Spider Riders!

The boy stirred and I got ready to hit him, but instead he smiled and seemed to sleep more soundly. Was it because of this song? Why would someone out to cause trouble want to hear something about us, and how amazing we were?

Realizing I had to quit examining him and get ready to turn him in I considered what we would need to do. Should we take or leave the boat? And what about the supplies? Should they go back to the merchants in that village? "Rrraaagghhh! I hate when I overthink like this. We can sort it out later. Glace, let's take hi- URghh..." I felt an impact on the back of my head and collapsed into darkness.

 **(Aadyn's POV)**

What was I thinking, deciding to sleep when I was being pursued!? "Ugh, you lack witted, useless, pathetic little sorry excuse for cannon fodder!" I lashed some of the extra vines I had on deck around the girl and took off her manacle. If she wakes up with that thing on, I'm done for. But now what?

"Umbra? UMBRA?!" I looked at her manacle. Clearly, her partner... I think it was Glace? Yeah, Glace, was going to be an issue if I didn't consider a way to keep her out of it. Oh jeez, is my conscience gonna hate me for this. As if knocking someone over the head wasn't bad enough...

"Look, your friend is fine, for now. But only if I want her to stay that way. So keep quiet, stay in there, and leave me alone, then maybe no harm shall befall her. But even a peep out of you, and, well... I can be very unpleasant at times, if you catch my drift. Got it?" The only reply from the manacle was a rather hostile silence.

"Good. Now... Where was I before she butted in? Something about-Oh, right, her. I leave her here unconscious, she can pick up my trail when she wakes up or the spider can let herself out and carry her while she's out for my blood, and that's not considering the risks of leaving someone on their own in such a vulnerable position far from any signs of civilization..." Slowly the steam began rusting whatever gears that we're keeping my thought turning, metaphorically speaking of course, with the steam being my mental exertion and the gears my mental capacities. "Ugh, I'm so confused I'm starting to think halfway to dictionary language. What's next, me hearing a snap and seeing a Pomeranian in a tux taking a poodle in a green prom dress out on a date?" I paused as for a moment I thought I did see that, only for it to turn out to be one weird plant formation. "Yeesh... Look, it's take her or leave her, alright? So, risk something happening because you thought it was risky to take her along and have that on your conscience, or take her along and think of something later on?" I groaned and made sure her bonds weren't gonna come off in five minutes then sent the Templar back into the river.

Once we were going along fairly well I took a look at where I'd hit her head. No goose eggs, luckily, and she seemed to be breathing ok. When she comes to I'll try to check for signs of further injury. Speaking of... I unwrapped my bandages on my arm and winced. It was swelling up a bit, and I could see some pus mingling with the blood making up the scabs. Guess the hot water didn't cut it. Great. Last thing I need with everything else, a chance to end up losing my arm to infection!

I thought of some of the field medicine I'd learned about over the years. Not much more than what I have done, but better than nothing, and what I do know may just save my life. One book had a surgeon stating sometimes the sense of smell can be an early indicator of infection, and another the person knew his friend's wound had gangrene also because of smell. I remember sometimes people would suck up some of the contaminated blood in the afflicted area and spit it out, remove some of the toxins. But I think that's intended for venoms and such, not infection. I can't waste time trying to remember herbal remedies and such, which actually interested me more due to my science stage when I was little, because I knew too little about the local vegetation. Besides, what if they are the same plants down here, but for some reason or another, don't work when it comes to medicine? Plus the risk that the authors figured since nobody cares about plants anymore, they could make up uses. So much for that...

"Guess part of this is a simple fix. I start feeling off, I get her sorry carcass off my ship and keep drifting on till I die or recover." But how will I know when I'm feeling bad? I haven't gotten sick in years thanks to a naturally tough immune system. Jeez... Why does it seem like the universe itself hates me?! What am I, the modern day Job, tested in horrendous ways that only halt themselves short of my death that God may prove my faith? Huh? Well?!

"So is that the way of it? Is it? If so, well I'm not gonna lose heart, but be warned that I won't be whistling a happy tune about it! And I'll have words with you over this once I'm up there, whether it happens today, next week, in a year, or when I'm an old man in bed for my last nap! Just quit pushing me around already!" I slumped back down after yelling at the sky above me, anger momentarily forgotten. "Just cause I don't want to do something doesn't mean I'm not willing. But I'm gonna vent my not wanting to be there by complaining as if that'll put an end to the whole thing. Besides, takes a load off for a bit to voice this kinda thing. URK!" I remembered Glace being in the manacle and had to bite my uninjured forearm. She'd have heard everything. For the sake of everything good that has, will, or shall ever exist, please let her have not overheard...

Unbeknownst to me, while Glace had closed her ears to my outburst trying to think of how to stop this whole situation, someone else hadn't. On the contrary, someone had taken a very keen interest in my tirade.

 **So, a bit of foreshadowing at the end. What do you guys think? I know, I took forever... Sorry about that. A few new plot elements thrown in too, and the big question is... What the heck am I gonna do about Umbra? Well, here's to hoping for some rapid improvement of my luck, right folks? And before anyone starts, I have no plans to make the me in the story and Umbra possibly consider tying the knot, so don't be putting that in the reviews, alright?**

 **(Story Aadyn) And thank goodness for that!**

 **(Me) Hey, where'd you come from?!**

 **(Umbra) Hang on a second. What's that supposed to mean, huh? Remember who knocked me out. And you're not exactly in demand yourself!**

 **(Me) Now hold on! How did you get in here too? And untied?! This is MY story, and I'm pretty sure that puts me in charge. So how did you guys get here?!**

 **(Story Aadyn) Maybe I'm not, but at least I don't need to hope for someone accidentally splitting two people up to get a girlfriend. You're too chicken to even tell that Magnus guy I pummeled you liked him, and I bet you're just tailing me as an excuse cause you're still too scared, even with Ruby out of the picture!**

 **(Me) Hey, are you numbskulls ignoring me? Seriously? I oughta-**

 **(Umbra) WHAT? How dare you! I'm trying to capture you because you're a potential threat, you... Quit making clucking noises at me! Ahhh! That's it!**

 ***Loud scuffling and yelling can be heard in the background as I come back***

 **(Me) Oy... Why is it that nobody ever does what I tell them? Doesn't matter who, people dogs, that particularly ornery mouse, birds, even characters I make up. None of them listen to me. Well, I now have something to sort out over here, so bye everyone! And remember, I don't mind people making suggestions. It's hard to improve on your own after all! Ow! Hey, which one of you threw that?!**


	5. Aggravating is the only word

**Well, here we go. Told you guys I would try to update more quickly on this story from now on, didn't I? Thanks to Spring Break, I'll have plenty of time to work on these, hopefully. And TL, yeah, I see what you mean about that being weird. But as the story goes on, things like that will happen. POV shifts are really common in some books I read, and help give a better idea of some aspects of what's happening, in my mind. Anyway, on with the story, right? Oh, but before I forget... I realize most authors put disclaimers in their stories, most likely to avoid potential accusations of plagiarism. Guess this'll be my first one, then. I have no ownership of Spider Riders or any of its characters. If I did, it likely wouldn't have been nearly as good. All I own is the OCs, and storyline of this work. With that out of the way, let's get on with it!**

 **(Umbra's POV** )

As that guy continued muttering to himself, I tried to think of a way out of this. The knots he'd tied were fairly sturdy, and not any kind I was familiar with. Glace and my manacle were a bit away, and close to him. I wouldn't be able to get any help there before he noticed what I was doing.

At least he thinks I'm still unconscious, which helps a lot. But now I'm worried I'm being held captive by a lunatic. Screaming out at the sky like that, and talking to himself nonstop? There's clearly something wrong with him.

"Not happening, and that's final." I almost jumped at the change in his tone, but managed to stay still. "Who knows what might happen in that situation, huh? And if she wakes up soon, asking for directions would be a bad idea. She can easily lead us somewhere she can get help and then boom, straight to jail we go, or worse. I did assault and apprehend a Spider Rider, remember? Speaking of..." He got quiet and I heard him step closer to me, and I stiffened slightly before I could help it. Rather than try to wake me up, he shifted my head slightly, more gently than I expected, and felt the back of my head. I had to resist the urge to retaliate and hoped he wouldn't notice I was starting to blush a bit. It kind of tickled.

"Still no swelling or anything, lucky. She's breathing okay, and obviously doing a bad job of trying to play possum. Hey, if you're alert enough to listen in, you can at least quit pretending to be unconscious. Now that I know you're awake, all monologues will take place in my head."

I grudgingly sat up and glared daggers at him. "I suggest you let me go now. You're going to be in enough trouble already. The longer you hold me prisoner, the worse it will get." He sighed and went back to paddling, making a point of keeping my manacle closer to him.

 **(Aadyn's POV)**

After about an hour of tense silence, I tried to break the ice a bit. "You hungry?" She gave me a frosty glare sharper than the edge of a knife and didn't respond. I pulled ashore anyway and helped her up, then had her stand on the riverbank while I gathered some gear, placing the manacle in my bag and setting down the anchor.

"I didn't get all the supplies I was looking for, thanks to that Magnus pal of yours and you, but there's still plenty here. Plain, but nothing to complain about." I readjusted the vines I'd tied around her wrists, noticing she had clearly tried to force them apart, so she could eat more easily. I'm not going to feed her myself, after all. Besides being seriously awkward, I don't have the patience for that, and don't forget to factor in that she'll likely spit it right back at me.

After handing her some food, I stepped away a bit and turned my back to her, unraveling my bandages and wincing. The swelling had increased, making my forearm about as thick as my calves, and there was copious amounts of pus flowing. I slammed the fist of my uninjured arm against a small tree to let out of the built up agony and frustration, shaking it and knocking loose several leaves. Shaking my head to remove them, I got a new bandage out and rewrapped my arm, making it tight and wincing.

Sitting down, I ate, looking at our surroundings. It was a fairly nice area that made me think of plains. Relatively level ground for a good distance with dark green grass and some other plants thriving, though there was a lack of trees, only two other than the one I'd hit. It was a nice place, and I wondered why there weren't any people taking advantage.

When we set off again, I shoved the Templar out into the river and clambered on board. Unfortunately, in the process a fish got caught in my shirt and slapped me in the face with its tail when it managed to finally leap back into the water, making me feel like a cartoon character and Umbra have a good laugh at my expense. "You are getting on my nerves. Watch it," I growled.

We stopped a couple more times during the day before the sun went dark and I opted to stop for the night altogether. I noticed Umbra was squirming in a decidedly uncomfortable manner, and it didn't take me long to realize what the issue was. I unwrapped the vines entirely. "Go and get yourself some privacy. But be warned, if you take too long and I begin to smell a rat, I'm leaving without you, and I'll make sure to bury your manacle deep in the river mud after a bit, and good luck ever finding your friend Glace. Got it?" She nodded, and I guess she'd been more frantic than I realized, cause she sprinted out to a nearby group of trees. It was actually a kind of funny sight. I brought some things of my boat and began heating some water for my bandages, and then I would try to cook something later. Placing the used bandages I'd swapped out during the day, I boiled them and lifted them out with a stick. After letting one set cool slightly, I removed my current bandages and put the fresh ones on, still pretty warm and a bit too much so, but it may help sterilize some of the infection.

When Umbra came back, I had already started getting some food ready, taking some root vegetables that resembled potatoes in the coals of a now dead fire to bake and making sandwiches with sides of berries. I'd wanted to try making some juice with them, but I wasn't sure how to do it with my current available tools, so I just settled with some water. I know water is crucial, it's just... It's kinda boring to drink, and if I have more than a few sips, can make me burp a lot.

"You might as well lay down. I'm sleeping with my knife and bow close at hand, and I'll be holding on to your manacle too. Try anything and I'll forget about keeping you prisoner. Do we understand one another?" Silence was my only answer and I muttered about how she was getting on my last nerve before laying down.

As my eyes closed, I tried to think of ways to get rid of her. I'm not going to keep her around much longer, it'll drive me crazy. Maybe if I leave her somewhere that I can go multiple directions in, leave her still tied up but loose enough she can get loose after a while, and blindfolded so she won't know which route I took. I'll have to leave her manacle close when I do that, too, or...zzzzz. My other thoughts faded as sleep took me.

The next day I woke up with a severely dry throat, courtesy of my snoring. "Ugh. And this is why I prefer sleeping on my side." Umbra was nearby, snoring pretty loudly herself, and I covered my ears, then shook her awake. Grumbling, she got on the Templar and we shoved off.

After a while we reached a split in the river, and I considered leaving Umbra here, but decided against it. I could see the area for a pretty large distance, not enough cover for avoiding being followed. Turning to Umbra, I told her to pick a number one through ten. If it was an odd, we'd go left. Evens got the right. Of course, I didn't tell her she was deciding our path. "Eight," she said. Turning the tiller, we took the right side.

After a while the water began speeding up. Before I could think about it, Umbra decided to talk. "Why haven't you finished me off?" I almost asked her if she seriously thought I could murder someone in cold blood, but a memory flashed by.

 _Flash of stainless steel, a life ended, and a young boy whose hands were stained forevermore with red. Other lives taken at will as the youth aged, and half the time he looked at his own hands, all he saw was red._

I shook the memories loose and rephrased my response before speaking. "I'm not out to kill anyone. I'm just looking for some answers, or I was till your crush back there got the wrong idea. And then you made it worse. Once I can ditch you somewhere without being followed easily, I'm leaving your sorry carcass on shore until you can free yourself. But by the time you do, I'll be long gone." Any response she could make was cut off by the Templar thumping upwards slightly, then smacking back down, knocking me over.

"What the?!" Looking over the edge, I realized why the water had sped up earlier. We'd sailed right into some rapids! Behind us I saw a mostly submerged river rock, which must have been what made us bounce. Ahead were more, many larger and jutting from the water like crooked fangs ready to shred us. "Hang on!"

I grabbed my oar and did my best to shove us away from the rocks, suddenly glad the Templar was kinda small and flimsy. If it had been built larger, I probably wouldn't have been able to avoid the initial stones without more people. We reached a clear spot for a moment, and I cut Umbra's bonds.

I handed her the manacle. "Get out of here, qui-!" My sentence was cut off as we hit another rock, and Umbra lost her grip on the manacle, making it fly into the river. We both fell over, and a part of the ship was torn off, leaving a large gap on one side. Another collision, and Umbra went over, resurfacing only to hit her head on a protruding, jagged spur of stone. She went back under, a hint of red visible in the water. "NO!" Another hit, and the ship flipped, pressed against the stone by the current, and pinning me as well. I felt some of the timber impale my thigh, and I cried out again. It bled profusely, and I began getting light headed.

"They're both gone," I heard in my head. "They're both gone, and it's all my fault." Dimly, I was aware of my oar, still sharpened and being hurled by the water into my chest at a diagonal angle, piercing my sternum, and ending it.

I hurled myself awake, sweating and panting. "Good Lord..." I've had those kinds of dreams where you die in them before, but never anything like this. It was so vivid... And unlike most of my rare dreams, it wasn't immediately fading from my memory, staying as clear as a good book after reading it for the first time. Looking around, I saw I was still at the site I'd chosen to stop at before, with Umbra snoring even louder than in the dream. There was no sign the day in the dream had even begun, and I laid back down, mind rushing. Eventually, when I couldn't reach a conclusion about why that dream was so different, I fell back to sleep, this time blissfully dreamless.

My throat was dry when I woke up, and Umbra was snoring. I covered my ears and shook her awake, then we were off. Eventually we reached a fork and I felt cold. From what I saw, it seemed exactly like the dream. I turned and asked Umbra for the number, praying it wouldn't be eight, but to no avail. "Eight."

Rather than follow the doomed path I had in the dream, I turned the ship to the left, a close eye on how fast we were going and eyes peeled like bananas for rocks. After a bit, I decided to take my mind off it when no danger seemed imminent.

"Umbra, why were you after me? I didn't go to that town planning to get into a fight. Although those two must've had problems anyway, if she was gonna split with him that easily."

"You completely thrashed Magnus, and I saw your weapons too. It was pretty clear you could be dangerous, and-"

"Yeah, could be! If you had just left me alone, I'd be relaxing, enjoying the ride, while you got your chance to take advantage and make some moves on the guy."

"You've mentioned me liking him several times. How do you know that?" She was giving me a confused, somewhat suspicious look.

"When I lost you guys, it was because there was a cave at that bend in the river that I ended up in on accident. I heard you and Glace chatting while you were above me."

For a while, we continued in silence. Eventually I saw the river split off into five directions, three leading into a forest. Perfect! "All ashore that's going ashore." I beached the Templar pulled Umbra out, then got ready to blindfold her. When she saw me coming with the strip of cloth, she tried to kick me and connected, though I really wish she hadn't, cause, well... Look, it was extremely painful, let's leave it at that. I bent double for a second, and she hit me again, this time in the head. Luckily, due to my practically metallic skull, she hurt herself and I barely felt the impact. I kicked the back of her knees, and she fell down, which allowed me to blindfold her. I made her ties a bit loose, which wasn't easy with her struggling and thrashing, but doable. Finally, I set her manacle down next to her. "So long!"

She responded with a string of insults that mostly were based of my father being some form of livestock and my mother getting even worse comments. I'm not exactly proud of it, but I kinda lost my temper and stomped on her stomach, making her yell and start wheezing, clutching her midriff. Throwing some food near her, I left, paddling hard as I could to speed up. Before long, I was far away, taking a path that went around the forest, knowing that was where she would expect me to go. Taking a deep breath of fresh air, I took a moment to be glad I was rid of my passenger for now. And hopefully, the answers I need will present themselves soon, followed by a chance to apologize.

 **Well, how was it? I'm not proud of my reaction at the end when Umbra insulted me, but that was probably similar to how I would have taken it in real life, and since my OC is me, I have to keep it accurate, yeah? And you know how those two somehow made it into my author note section last chapter? Well, I had to write up a pair of cells for them but they're still arguing. It's kinda aggravating. The story me, who will be referred to as SA, and Umbra, referred to as U, won't stop for even a breath. Listen.**

 **SA: You're a wretched hag! Why did you kick me there? I tried to be nice, didn't I? But no, of course not, cause you're too stupid to be nice back!**

 **U: I'm stupid? Who almost steered us to our deaths, huh? And what do you expect? You were stopping and blindfolding me without any kind of explanation. I didn't know you were letting me go!**

 **SA: Er, actually, you kinda have a point there...**

 **U: Aha! See? You jerk!**

 **SA: Look, I'm sorry. Can we bury the hatchet, please?**

 **U: Sure we can. Right in your fat head! You think one little sorry can make up for all of that? Not happening, mister!**

 **... See what I mean? After that, the whole thing just escalated until they began trying to pry apart the bars with their bare hands and I had to use some sort of sedative blow darts to knock them out. They're still sleeping, luckily. Anyway, a small note or two. TL, you mentioned you'd been feeling bad. I'm sorry to hear that. Hope you're feeling better! And if not, then get we'll soon! And everyone, remember that I really hope to hear some suggestions so I can improve. Maybe you could even suggest some events to happen later on, yeah? Either reviews or PMs, I'm good either way. And a guessing game. Whoever gets the proper reason for why that dream happened, and what that object I found last chapter was, gets a big acknowledgment, bragging rights, and if they want, some input on the story. Doesn't even have to be this story if you want. So, good luck!**


	6. Touch of Steel

**Here we go, then. A fresh step in this story. I hope this one turns out well, I realized I was starting to forget to work on this one, which I have no plans of doing. So, let's move along, shall we? Disclaimer: I do not own Spider Riders in any way, shape or form, I am simply someone who recognized what an amazing series it was, even if my fic here doesn't do it proper justice. All I own is myself, Umbra (although some credit also goes to TL Chan, who helped me set her up from a rough idea I had) and the storyline of this fic.**

All seemed right with the world for the moment. The Oracle Sun was bright, the clearing was cozy and seemed empty of threats, and some delicious looking plants were just up ahead. The rabbit took a few tentative steps forward, ears pricked for danger, nose twitching. Better safe than sorry applied to the animal kingdom almost as much as it did humans, after all. Satisfied with his safety, the rabbit began biting into the greens, filled with joy at simply being alive.

It was so ironic I felt myself consider walking away, right before I loosed one of the special arrows I'd made for small game in the months since I had gotten away from Umbra on the river. The shot was magnificent, piercing its spine where it met the skull, a quick, clean and painless death. Keeping hold of my knife, I went to my lunch and began cleaning, jointing, and skinning the animal.

I chuckled as I remembered my initial attempts at preparing fresh meat for meals, emphasis on attempts, and poor ones at that. But as time went on, I'd learned firsthand, somewhat helped by the meager but helpful information on preparing rabbits found in both Hatchet and Brotherband. The first time I had ended up losing more food than what was on the poor thing due to tossing my cookies at the smell and feel of something's intestines. Oh, yeah, fun times for suure. About as fun as I'm handsome, so nada.

Checking the arrow, I noticed no damage from its encounter. Good. I may have gotten decent at making new arrows, but it was still a difficult, lengthy job. Plus I didn't have a very good supply of fletchings, a number of my crude works having slivers of stiff, but light bark in the place of feathers. Still, they turned out a lot better than the ones I had made at home a few times for fun, maybe because I wasn't using a hot glue gun to secure the head and fletchings.

I took the innards of the rabbit and placed them in an area I had chosen for scraps, using them as fertilizer for some small fruit trees growing from the ones I'd had with me when I found this place. Then I turned to my campsite and took a deep breath, reveling in the fresh air. The Templar was on a small "dock" I had made just for it, bobbing in the small current. It had grown and been improved during my months here, and I could now proudly refer to it as a proper ship, though still a small one. There was a decent shelter on board with spaces for keeping supplies, a real hull making it no longer flat on the water's surface. There was a sail attached to a short but sturdy mast made from a log stitched together from various hides and some sturdy leaves that could be removed from its passive, furled state with a pull of a vine. The tiller and rudder were both much sturdier than before, and the paddles had proper oarlocks to hold them in place.

My campsite wasn't half bad, either. A nicely sized fire pit near the river surrounded by stones with an emergency channel connecting the two just in case. I remember some pretty good tips from Rescue Heroes about avoiding fires, particularly in a place with so much vegetation. A larger, more comfortable shelter than the one on my ship guarded from drafts and cold with another combination of hides and leaves over mud and wooden walls kept it warm and cozy rested a ways from the pit, another precaution to avoid potential incineration. My tools and supplies were split fairly evenly between the two shelters to avoid both crowding and losing everything at once in an emergency. I didn't have any butter or its like to use on my frying pan before I cooked the rabbit, but I'd found that trimming the fat off and letting it take the place worked for a substitute. **(Quick note, I don't think this would actually work in real life, as fat is actually highly flammable. I just wasn't sure what else to try, so... But don't attempt using fat to avoid food sticking unless you want a lot of fire and potential explosions, got it?! You have been warned!)**

After the rabbit bits cooked for a bit, with me occasionally shifting them around the pan, I added some herbs that burned quickly, but added flavor and a pleasant aroma that helped counteract the smoke. I sighed as my mouth watered, then cut one of the fruits and squeezed the juices out from a slice. After I deemed the food cooked, I carried it, pan and all, to the riverbank and held the bottom against the water, steaming and cooling the pan slightly through... Would it be convection or conduction? Convection refers to the transfer of heat in liquids and gases, but conduction is solids, and since both a liquid and solid were part of it... GRAGH, never mind. If I start thinking about this, I won't stop until I have a headache so bad I'll be crying. Trust me, it happens a lot, which is why I often avoid thinking as best I can.

After the food had cooled somewhat, I placed the meal on a plate and dug in, savoring the delicious taste. As I did so, my mind again returned to my incompetence when I'd first started setting up here. I'd had several meals of only produce, much of the little meat I could secure either burned or undercooked. Not a fun period, worse considering the other troubles. I'd gone through several shelters of different styles, using what knowledge I had and half remembered conversations of my construction worker grandfather's I had overheard. Factor in a few hundred other smaller scale disasters, you had a very interesting first couple months.

I gave a bittersweet sigh as I digested the meal. It had been great, but... "Just a couple months and then... I'll have been in the Inner World a whole year. And I still have no idea what I'm doing here. How did I get into this mess in the first place...?"

I shoved myself up and got to playing a game, using a tree limb like a sword. It was how I'd played outside since I was seven, in what is viewed as a fun way to remove my clumsiness and maybe learn how to fight too. I crouched slightly and spun on one heel, swinging my weapon in a circle, mocking my imaginary adversaries. "Enjoy the steel in your guts, you wretched wastes of flesh! Ha!" But my mind kept leaving my game, and I finally stopped. "I'm not gonna know what happened if I just stay here the rest of my life... There HAS to be a reason, and it's about time I set off again."

Over the next week, all my new food was prepared in ways to make it last, and I got large amounts of woad, a plant that I knew had medicinal uses for colds, and made a nice blue dye, making my hair blue to help mask who I was. Umbra probably hasn't forgotten our...disagreements before. I don't want to start that flame anew and get myself roasted, then likely put my head on the chopping block.

When the time came, I loaded all my gear, unsure if I'd ever return to this place or not. Untying the Templar, I let it drift out into the river a bit before heaving the anchor onboard with one arm, pulling the sail free with the other. My arm had long since healed, stronger than ever, though I sometimes got painful twinges that matched the scars my old foe the eel had left, and I was kinda glad. It kept the memories of those days fresh.

I had navigated a fair distance of the river in the area for fun, and I knew the Templar and how to steer it pretty well now. It was a couple days before I reached a town, and I eased my ship onto the riverbank, tying it to a tree. A bit of listening in various places showed that I wasn't the first topic on people's minds, if they knew about the incident at all, but that made sense. It had been several months after all. Still, I can be hugely paranoid at times, so I couldn't help but test the waters, if only a touch.

I still had all the gold from Sparkle that I hadn't spent that day, and I used some of it to replace worn out gear as well as get some steps up from my cruder homemade equipment. Then I overheard someone who looked to be pretty well off complaining as I relaxed in an inn I'd gotten a room at while waiting for my dinner.

"These blasted brigands are making it too risky to make the trip with the guards I have. I'm as glad as the next man we and the Invectids have made our peace, but since that ended there's been more instances of random criminals like these making things difficult. None of the men in this town are willing to sign on to help. One, just one extra set of eyes and another body to throw at them if they give us trouble would be all I need to leave with at least a decent sense of security. Just one!" As the other fellow at his table, a man who resembled him but too was old to be his son, his brother perhaps, tried to calm him down, I considered what I'd heard. I'd had a lot of daydreams involving working as a mercenary, and this may help both him and me. Well, before I can scare myself out of it...

"Excuse me, I couldn't help but overhear. Maybe I can sign on and help out? I'm a good shot, and have some experience with a blade, though I'll have to buy one. I can help out with other chores as well, and I have no issues with a reasonable price."

The man I'd overheard gave me a cursory glance, probably wondering if I was a spy for whatever highwaymen he'd been so upset about. Couldn't blame him, it was kinda suspicious looking from his side of things. It would be rather convenient, after he's given up hope a fairly wild-looking young man just happens to overhear his complaints and try to seem like the perfect candidate, and for a small price as well. Definitely seems too good to be true, and if he has brigands to worry about, he'd be taking a big risk that I may be a spy of some kind. Of course, there was always the chance I might just be some dumb kid with delusions of grandeur that'll be more trouble than he's worth.

I put on one of the metaphorical masks I wear, trying to put up a trustworthy front. Luckily, barring extreme circumstances this is one of my better masks since it's less false than some. Which has come in handy, since people would tend to trust me back at home, even with my bad temper. A few times I'd even kept people out of trouble despite evidence simply by stating, or sometimes overstating if I thought they'd learned a lesson already, their innocence. It seemed to work, cause he seemed to relax a touch, then turned to his brother and they began whispering to each other.

I waited as they talked, and when my dinner arrived thanked the waitress before digging in. It was delicious, a medium rare steak, steamed broccoli for the side. Drinks were pretty good, too. Two fair sized pitchers of fruit juice right down the hatch, though I got a few stares when the first one went away in seconds. For some reason, I'm constantly thirsty, even if I drink entire gallons of water, which I have done. I think my personal record is 4 gallons of water in one sitting. But, despite how full I was and being very well aware I couldn't drink more without bursting, I was still thirsty. It's kinda annoying, though.

I was almost finished eating when they turned back to me. "So, here's my offer," I set my silverware down for a moment and turned to him. "The trip will last about two weeks, provided there's no trouble," He gave me a significant glare, just in case I suppose. "I give my guards hazard pay and a bonus if anything happens and they help out, but flat rate is 10 silvers. Sound good?"

Considering how I have little to no knowledge of what that would be like in terms of good pay or bad, I do have money to spare anyway, and I did say I don't mind prices, so... "So where and when should I find you to get going?"

He looked surprised at my quick acceptance, and I realized he'd expected me to haggle for a better price. Of course, I am an idiot! Still, I'll leave it at that, since I already accepted. "We're leaving about mid morning tomorrow, at the town's east gate. If you don't show, we're leaving without you. Understood?" I nodded and turned back to my food, finishing it off. I paid and went out. If I have to leave in the morning, that doesn't leave a lot of time to do things. Asking around, I found a weapon shop.

There was all kinds of cool kit in the place. Broadswords that probably weighed more than I did, slim sabers that looked like they could be used for toothpicks, heavy flails with a solid metal sphere the size of a bowling ball connected to a wooden handle by a couple feet of chains, stout spears that had a thick enough haft to use against a wild boar, massive longbows that made mine look like a child's toy, leather straps to go around the chest and shoulder with several throwing knives, oh I could go on and on.

I spoke with the smith about my preferences, how I preferred something with a slightly curved edge, better for slashing, but a lighter blade so I wouldn't be clumsy and slow. A hand and a half sword so I could switch between one and two hands as I wanted, plus a couple other things. After a while, we started trying them out, and I selected one that I felt was about right. It was a bit heftier than I'd wanted, but was balanced well and had a great edge on it. The blade was curved, yet straight enough for the occasional thrust. I also bought some more arrows, fearsome warheads that could probably tear right through chain mail, which they actually did in the demonstration. Mental note, if there are brigands out there, pray they don't buy their equipment here. I'd much rather be the one using this stuff than be on the business end. I paid a fairly hefty sum before looking for the east gate, so I'd know where to go the next day. It was a fair distance from the inn, so a wake up call was definitely in order. Oh, boy...

"I can't believe that even with an early wake up call I'm still running late. Why did I forget to hire someone to watch my ship until I get back? I should've asked around last night. Stupid, idiotic, pathetic, brain dead twit!" After that I saved my breath for running, glad I was much faster than I looked. Even so, the caravan was halfway out the gate when I reached them. Phew! Made it!

"So you're the kid our boss was wondering about," The clearly condescending tone made me look up. The man in front of me had a large halberd in his hands and a rigid posture. His eyes were sharp as the edge of his weapon, a startling and icy shade of gray. He wasn't much taller than me, but had a commanding air around him. If this guy hasn't seen his fair share of battles and then some, I'm handsome.

I took a moment to touch the hilt of my new sword, finding something about having its weight there reassuring. "Aye, sir. I am. Aadyn, here for duty," I barely kept myself from grimacing as the sir left my mouth, but it was probably the best option, no matter how much I hate speaking so formally.

"Did I ask your name yet? And quit scowling at me or you get first watch tonight!" Guess I wasn't as quick as I'd thought. Then again, I'll probably be on first watch anyway. It may sound awful being one of those who doesn't get to rest until much later than the others, but actually I've learned that first watch is saved for those deemed least trustworthy or responsible.

"Sorry. But I'm going to be on that watch anyway, right? It is saved for those you don't trust, generally speaking. If that's how you feel about me, just say it out loud," Perhaps not the proper approach for someone who's pretty clearly my commander, but then again, I speak what I think for the most part before I can forget what I'm going to say, which sadly happens a lot anyway. "So what's my job at the moment? Am I on proper duty or meant to be tested a bit so you can decide whether I'm competent or not? To make sure new help is worth the time is part of your job, after all. Especially since you have no idea of whether I'm incompetent or useful yet," He gave me a fresh look over. Guess loving to read stories about adventurous warriors all the time has some advantages. It was one of the duties a caravan guard commander had to take care of in Oath of Swords, an iBook I'd read. Of course, that was a temporary part of the book, but still.

"If I couldn't tell otherwise, I would almost think you're an experienced soldier. You know a lot for such an obvious rookie. Military in the family, perhaps?" He's probing, not so subtly either, getting a read on me. Well, stick with the truth then, but keep details vague.

"I've had a lot of fighters in my family, yeah. Several aunts and uncles, I think a cousin or two, and a couple great grandparents in the last few generations, though that's just on my mom's side. Not so sure about from my dad, though I doubt it," I tried to remember more details, but GG, my grandmother, had only brought it up a couple times, though my favorite uncle had tried to convince me enlisting was a good idea. I'd shot him down, though. In our world, it's all about discipline and do whatever you're told or suffer. Not my cup of tea. Besides, if I'm going to kill someone, I want at least a reason of some kind.

"Well you must have paid a lot of attention," When I shook my head he seemed kind of stunned, though not for long since we were on the move.

"That's more from reading a lot. I enjoy these kinds of adventures in tales, breaks through some of the monotony. You pick up a thing or two."

He asked me several more questions as we went on until lunchtime. The entire caravan was halted and a man with a scar across his mouth, most likely the commander's assistant, had some of the guards set out for a watch. The commander, whose name I'd learned was Selethen, had the rest of us gather in a clear area where most of the grass was gone save a few stubborn specimens. In the process I got a better idea of my fellow guards. There were 15 counting myself and those on watch, most of them using the same spears I remember the common troops using on the show, with the odd circular part sticking out on the head. He paired us off against one another, handing out blunted practice weapons. Well, to everyone but me.

"You're sparring against me, Aadyn. I want to evaluate you myself. Ready?" I gulped, but nodded, then bowed a bit, placing my fist into the palm of my other hand. I got kinda embarrassed when they all shot me funny looks.

"Err, sorry. My teacher," Meaning myself, of course. "always insisted on doing that when I would spar against someone. In a more formal setting than the open field of battle, strict varieties of etiquette must be followed. Outside of that, though, anything goes. A time to fight fair, and a time to fight dirty," My explanation seemed to satisfy most of them, and they got to it, letting me focus on my own match without stage fright acting up. Selethen raised an eyebrow then bowed, somewhat mockingly. That jerk was making fun of my style! Why that little sorry son of a-

I barely saw the blow coming and knocked it aside. Of course, he was mocking my skill too. Against even barely decent opponents, you're supposed to practice with blunted weapons, just in case. To avoid doing so is either a sign of extreme confidence in one's own skills, or derision to those of the enemy. I was pretty sure which one he was using at the moment. That's it, then!

I waited for his next testing blow, and ignored it altogether, spinning on my heel with my sword arm fully extended, a sweeping, powerful curve of potential death coming at his neck. He stepped back and knocked the blow aside with the flat of his sword, failing to notice the kick not far behind it until it was almost too late, then he hopped away from it. Now he was taking me more seriously, the grip on his practice sword's hilt firmer, eyes somewhat narrowed. I in turn held my own blade closer to me, standing still. Let him come to me!

That's just what he did, an underhand slash aimed at a diagonal which could cut me from hip to shoulder with a real blade. I stepped aside and under, taking a swipe at his extended and exposed forearm, but then a wickedly sharp knife held at my throat made me halt the blow. I looked at the glaring Selethen, and he knocked my sword from my hand before putting the dagger away. "I would say that means I've won, wouldn't you?" Rather than wait for an answer, he walked away. I rubbed my throat and when I pulled my hand away, was glad to see no sign of red. Well, outside the vivid but false stains my mind had long ago painted it with. I shook my head before I could start dwelling on those awful repressed memories that had begun to resurface those months ago.

I picked up my sword and brushed off some of the dirt, then pulled out the polish and cloth that had come with it, removing any signs of the exercise. Luckily, there were no worrying nicks, so no sharpening to do. I noticed one of the guards on watch wasn't too far away and decided to speak with him as I polished.

"The commander is pretty good with that practice sword for someone who uses a halberd. I guess he's fairly good with weapons in general?"

He didn't look at me as he replied, keeping the majority of his focus on watching for trouble. "He is, though you don't seem bad either. But you losing your temper, that cost you. You didn't notice him drawing his knife when he started that attack, or realize it was meant to draw your attention away. He left his arm exposed like that on purpose," I realized that from where he was standing, my match against Selethen was right in his peripheral vision. A good place to watch the match and keep up his job. These guys were pros!

"So I had no chance at winning, it seems. Great... I was hoping for a better result. So, any signs of trouble?" He shook his head.

"Yes," Huh? Oh, I get it. Don't let anyone watching realize we've noticed them. A pretty old yet solid trick. "There's someone behind that hill over there who looks at us and ducks down every few seconds. I can see some of his armor, so I know it's not some gawking villager watching us train. Tell Selethen, but don't start panicking, got it?" His tone turned very harsh at the end, likely expecting me to give him away. I clicked my tongue in response and finished polishing, making a show of putting my things back in their proper places and checking for any more spots before I walked back to the camp.

It took me a minute to find Selethen, who was talking to his second in command, the guy with the twisted lip. "I want a rematch!" I made a point of yelling out the words, catching the attention of some of the others. Then, in a more normal tone, continued. "Sir, the watchman I was talking to says he spotted someone wearing armor watching us. He asked me to tell you about it. Any ideas?"

The sharp retort he'd obviously been about to make died, and when he responded he made the words a touch louder than mine, in the harsh tone of a man who'd been angered and disrespected, with a touch of derision like before. "I have no interest listening to your spoiled demands. Why not just take that bow of yours and see if you can being back some game? If you even know which way to point the arrow, that is!"

The other people around us all began laughing and I made myself look small and humiliated. It was clear some of them thought he was serious, but a couple of those closer began gripping their weapons. I took the hint and grabbed my bow, making a point of stomping out like a dismissed child. I went a distance away, then began making my way around to where the watchman had indicated, trying to look the same as I did when following tracks. I crouched behind a bush once I was closer, and peered through the branches.

It wasn't just one man there, but about half a dozen. There was the same number of horses hidden from our camp by the hill's slope, eating the grass. If I try to take any out, either at least one will escape no matter what I do, or they'll all try to ride me down, then get away. There was too big a chance of them being scouts for a larger group to let me consider other options.

I watched a bit longer, then went back to our camp. I found Selethen and the others eating, with the watchmen replaced by some of those who'd previously been sparring. I slumped down among them and began eating. "Well, what did you find?"

"There isn't much I could've done. There were 6 or so, but I had to avoid acting in case they're scouts of some kind. If they are, doing anything would risk letting some loose to report to someone else we know about them. If that happens, well..." I trailed off, hoping it was enough for now.

"We'll keep our eyes open from now on, and be ready at all times. If there are more, we can expect a possible ambush later on. But those don't work very well unless the ones getting ambushed are caught unawares. They try anything, we'll be ready. Not bad work, Aadyn. Now eat up before we leave,""I followed his advice, tearing into the food I'd been given, heart pounding as I considered what may happen later on, not with fear, but exhilaration.

 **So, how was it? I know Selethen isn't the sorta name you would find in the Inner world, it's just one I chose from a book I was reading during a break, a character who was a military commander himself. Also, potential foreshadowing in the mix. And a couple surprises ahead I've already planned out. As always, please review so I know how I can improve. Have a good day, guys! And PS, it's almost summer vacation! Just a couple weeks, which also means not long until the anniversary of this story. Can I hear any cheers? Well, later!**


	7. Inquisition

**I feel like I'm sorta building some momentum on this story, so I'll add this one too. I'll admit, much faster than I expected to be writing it, but plans change, yeah? That's why you should always leave wiggle room in your plans. After all, it doesn't take a master strategist to make the perfect plan. The problem tends to come in the execution. Disclaimer: I do not own Spider Riders, it is the property of whoever actually created it. I'm simply a fan who enjoys daydreaming, reading and writing. All I own is the plot elements and any OCs, including myself. Also, special note at the end of the chapter, please take a look at it!**

It was tense the next few days. We had no idea whether or not there was going to be a bandit attack. Several of us hoped that the ones we'd seen were either the entirety of a group or scouts of one too small to risk attacking us. But the alternative left looming, ravenous shadows in everyone's minds.

Two days after I'd checked on them, I sat at a fire with one of the other guards, Garret. He was a mercenary like myself, and was only with the caravan for a few trips and then his contract was up. At the moment, our conversation was about why we'd picked being mercs rather than soldiers.

"Mainly," he started off, "it's cause the pay is a bit better than an average soldier or town guard." I looked at him, taken aback.

"So it's entirely a financial pick? Nothing more?" He chuckled and muttered something about the naivety of youth.

"Well obviously. Why? What's your reason, if not the better cash?" I had to think for a second. Why had this work appealed to me so?

My answer came. "All my life, I've enjoyed the idea of being a fighter for one. When I was a kid, I was a huge klutz. Somehow, I decided I could remedy that by teaching myself to use the sword. I already knew footwork and balance were a necessity, and to be honest it seemed like fun. But for specifically being a mercenary, well... If I were in an army, I'd get dragged into whatever fight my superiors wanted, never mind what I think. If I'm a mercenary, I can choose what I take part in."

He looked intrigued, but I wasn't done yet. "After all, I've always hated when people told me to do something just for the heck of it. If there's a reason for an order or a rule, I'll usually follow it to the letter, even if I don't always like it, though with some complaints if I'm honest. This way, I am what every man is meant to be."

"And just what might that be?" I realized a few other people had started listening and fought the urge to scream and run. Stupid stage fright!

"The master of his own fate. Destiny has a path laid out for us, and the other people around you often have their own ideas as well, but in the end only you can choose what path you take. Be it one that's laid out, one you chose for yourself, it doesn't matter, so long as you choose it. That is what I believe to be the point of every man having free will, and I'm a firm believer in it."

I heard a scoff and turned around, seeing one of the people from the caravan, also my boss's niece, glaring at me. "So do women have a say too, or is it just men? Are we to be given whatever fate is decided for us?"

I shook my head. I guessed I had used the term men in the context of people in general too many times during my little ovation. "Not in the least. Girls are just as tough as we are, after all, and no different. Heck, I have a sister who's probably three times as tough as I am, if not more." She looked somewhat appeased and went away. Phew!

Realizing there were still several people scrutinizing me and likely wondering if I would say anything else, I barely kept myself from jumping up, and instead made a point of grabbing my bow before walking away. Once I was beyond our sentries, I began hyperventilating and shaking. I have had stage fright like that since I was in first grade, and it still persists! Ugh...

"Come on, get a hold of yourself! Courage is of the heart, and fear is of the mind. I am ruled by and follow my heart, not my mind. Thusly, I shouldn't let fear control me. Come on!" It was something I had thought up to help with my constant paranoia, and it had helped slightly, but I still have a long way to go before I've mastered my fears.

"Ugh... Why so early?!" Selethen glared at me. Well it wasn't my fault I'm no morning person, it runs in the family! Same as snoring, being bad singers, a love of reading, and stubbornness.

"We have drills, now move it!" Still grumbling, I picked up a practice blade and took my place among the other guards. "Ready? And, lunge! Retreat! Diagonal slash! Block! Duck! Parry! Vertical slash!" Slowly the sleepiness faded away as we went through the moves he called out. It was a couple hours before we were allowed to stop, and I gratefully did so. When it comes to training, the man is a nightmare! And since Igneous seemed to have a similar attitude in the show, it was no wonder Hunter always tried to take naps rather than train.

After a few minutes rest, the caravan was back on the move. The monotonous marching began getting to me, and I found myself caught in a daydream. But I was in for a rude awakening when a quick flash hit my right eye. What in the name of-?

A man holding a small mirror, flashing something. "Oh, that's all." ...Yeah, sometimes my head gets a few steps behind the rest of me. 3..2.. "GYAAA!"

Ignoring the others I went to Selethen. "Sir, there's a man with a mirror over there, I think he's using it for a signal!" His eyes widened and he made a gesture with one hand. I didn't recognize it, but it seemed like everyone else who saw it did. Several took a grip on their weapons, and others began taking positions around the wagons. "Where should I go?"

"Take a position near where you saw that mirror from. It's unlikely that's where the main assault will come from and you're new after all." He went next to the main wagon before I could argue that I was better suited for the front lines. Grumbling, I went to where he'd assigned me.

We waited for a while, and I began to wonder. Maybe they'd decided we were too big a risk now that we'd formed up, now either choosing to wait or leave us, or perhaps they were repositioning themselves, or maybe-

At that point my head began pounding, the countless variables and unknowns I was trying to accommodate for causing an absolute mental overload, AKA a migraine. I smacked the flat of my blade against my shoulder and forced other thoughts to take precedence in my mind. I exhaled and shifted my stance, unintentionally making a timely dodge of an arrow that would've given me a free now piercing.

As it shook in the wood from the force of impact, I cried out. "Attack! Archers on our right flank! Attack!" As another arrow came whistling by me, I ducked and got an arrow nocked. Holding my sword with the left arm as I drew back the string, I fired at an archer taking aim at one of the other guards, driving through his elbow and coming out the other side of his arm. He dropped his bow and screamed, making the arrow go harmlessly high of its target.

Other cries of alarm began to sound around me, and I realized this was just one front of the battle. A mounted bandit with a spear charged at me, and I loosed another arrow, taking him through the eye. Realizing I wasn't doing much good letting them come to me, I slung my bow over my shoulder and charged. Taking a deep breath, I yelled out, as loud as I could, getting the attention of several bandits, who focused on me. Another arrow missed me by sheer luck, or, well, not really missed. Rather than killing me, I just got a cut on my cheek. I pulled out my knife with my left hand, and when a swordsman came at me, drove it up through the soft spot behind the chin and pierced through his mouth and skull, then pulled it out and shoved him aside. Ducking a wild swing from a flail, I kicked its owner in the knee, hearing a satisfying, meaty snap as it buckled, then split his head in two.

Swallowing my nausea, I turned to the three archers still firing. One looked at me and tried to fire, but slid on the damp grass. Seizing the chance, I lunged forward and cut his throat, then took the shot he'd meant for me and hit one of his friends. The third began scrambling away, but got hit with a crossbow quarrel from my allies. Taking a moment to look at the bow I'd picked up, I saw a couple dozen notches on it. "Too bad I killed him already."

Another sword nearly cut my head off, and I stepped back. Knocking his next blow aside with my knife, I retaliated, but only managed to slash his forearm. Another pair of blows were stopped cold and the first of them earned me a cut that bounced off a rib. I clenched my teeth and examined my opponent more closely. He was tough. Against an enemy like this, no chances should be taken. I stepped around him onto firmer ground and took a firm grip on each weapon. He picked up a discarded shield and I growled. That's just my kind of poor luck!

"You should just give up, kid. You can't win this. Just give up now, join us. We're gonna need some new blood after this mess," he gestured at the battle taking place not so far from us, where it was clear that both sides were getting a fierce hammering. Considering how I'd already killed five, and the others would be giving their own fair share of blood spilled as well, I could easily see what he meant. Then again...

"Sorry, but I'm known for being a stubborn idiot. And when I put my loyalty forward, it stays in place, as certain as the fire I was named for burns with a heat you can't handle. I have no plans for giving up now. Enjoy the bitter sensation of death as it pulls you back into whatever abyss you and your friends crawled out of!" He brought his shield to bear, but I shoulder checked it, knocking him off balance. I knocked his blade aside with my knife and elbowed him in the face, then tried to bury my sword in his gut. But his shield came back into play, knocking it out of my hands.

I stepped back. With only my knife, there was no way I could get through his defense. It was hardly my best weapon, and my bow would be useless as well. We were too close and he could use his shield to block any shot. What to do, what to do? All I could think was there's no way I can see. Come on! And then a spear seemed to erupt from his chest.

"I agree with what the young idiot says. He's stubborn enough to rival mules, and it's my job to make sure that doesn't kill him until he's not in my command anymore. That's what I'll do, too," Selethen removed the spear of his halberd from my opponent's back and handed me my sword. "Now why don't you make my job a bit easier and follow orders next time?"

"Thank you. I'm not sure I could've thought up a way to beat him before he got me. But if I'd have stayed there, I get the feeling things wouldn't have gone as well as they did," The only response I got was a glare. I met it for a bit, then picked up the shield my opponent had used. "Ever heard of waste not, want not?"

He snorted and walked away, back to our caravan. I called out one last question. "How many did we lose?" He stopped.

"Nine guards, and seven of the merchants. Twelve were wounded, and speaking of get your chest bandaged when you're done picking over the carcasses. A group this size means the bandit problem is worse than anyone realizes. When we reach Arachna, we'll have to inform Prince Lumen," With that he left, back to the wagons.

I waited until he was out of earshot. "Arachna!" I spat the word out. "And Prince Lumen, too! The leader of the Spider Riders, and we're going straight to him! Why is this always my kind of luck?!" I lifted the flail I had faced earlier and began tearing at the ground with it, ripping up clump after clump of dirt.

Once I'd calmed down, I looked around, trying to see if there was anything I might want. Eventually I grabbed a couple of bracers, leather breastplate, and some money. When I got back I was immediately sent to the makeshift infirmary. I was given some leather to bite down on, then a few others held me down as my wound was stitched. I bit right through the leather, and almost threw aside some of those holding me. But the wound was sewn shut before being wrapped in bandages. I apologized to the people I'd hit.

"Aadyn, get over here!" I followed Selethen's voice and saw that the dead from our party were being buried. A bandit who was bound and short an ear was nearby, under the fierce, glaring eyes of Garret.

After packing down the earth that would cover them, I looked at our captive. "Selethen, sir, mind if I have a few words with our guest there? I'd like to ask him a few questions," I said, slowly unsheathing my knife. Sensing my intent, he grabbed my arm.

"We are not torturing him. He is going to be turned over to the authorities in Arachna. Besides, there are-" I cut him off, lowering my voice.

"Children in the group, yeah, I know. But if he thinks I'm gonna torture him, he'll spill his guts before I can, hoping to avoid trouble. Maybe a small cut here and there to make him think I'm serious, plus a few blades held over a fire in his line of sight, and he'd likely even tell me his darkest secrets. Trust me, alright?" He gave me a searching look, then nodded, relenting. "Good," I raised my voice. "Now the fun can begin, then. Bring me a few extra blades, please, and someone give that fire some more fuel. You killed sixteen of ours, and I'm the temperamental type who holds grudges. All my wages I can get him to scream before nightfall!" The others seemed disgruntled, but at a shake of the head from Selethen, backed up, albeit reluctantly, then left. Soon after, so did he.

"So, I've had a lot of excitement to die and the adrenaline is dying down. So, I could begin to be bored for now and you tell me everything I want to know and the some, or..." My voice trailing off seemed to make him more nervous. Good. "I could have all the fun I want, and make sure you suffer. I have several years of experience with running torture scenarios through my mind, and I can make you bring most of them to reality before dinner. So what's it to be?"

Suffice to say, when I returned to camp that evening, I had plenty of information that Selethen would need to hear, and the prospect of having to speak with Lumen seemed no longer worth avoiding, despite previous issues.

 **So, am I getting better at foreshadowing at the end of a chapter? And what's this? A possible encounter with some of the other Spider Riders? Oh, My! Who knows how this will turn out. Even I don't, yet! So, it's almost been a year since I started writing. Hard to believe. This may be part of the reason I've had so much momentum on this story, yeah? I may or may not do a special chapter just to celebrate that may even be bonus content, I'm not yet sure. If I do, some ideas you guys could help me choose from?**

 **1\. Why was Sparkle in that forest that day?**

 **2\. Some backstory for Umbra?**

 **3\. Same as 2, but for Selethen?**

 **4\. Something else altogether?**

 **Now, my special news. I may be trying to write an original work of my own. As in, an actual book, not a story! But I'm still very early on and other attempts I've made in the past didn't do so well. So who knows? But I just thought you guys may find that interesting. Anyhow, please read and review. Later, everyone!**


	8. Luck is a fickle thing

**And the momentum just keeps going. I've been trying to work on a couple other stories who I feel I've left neglected, but I can't stop working on this one. So, I'll try to get it out of my system. And the special chapter I mentioned, I think I'll wait until the anniversary is closer. And as for Selethen not being such a jerk, I was just going for a tough but fair sort of character, that's all. Anyhow, my disclaimer: I do not own Spider Riders and makes no claims that I do, it belongs to the actual creators. What I do own are my OCs and the plot line of this work, that's all. And again, some of this credit goes to TL-Chan as well, for helping me get some of it laid out in the early days. Well, let's read on then, shall we?**

I set down my shield and leaned back against a tree, then grabbed the top of my head and my chin, then twisted my head sideways, sighing as the stiffened joints in my neck popped. The days following the attack were laden with a tension that made the ones before seem like a Christmas family dinner. Of course, outside of myself, Selethen, and the caravan owner, whose name, Fifer, I had only learned just then, nobody knew what was wrong, but they had seen how we were acting, and they could tell something was wrong.

Of course, our prisoner had known as well, but when he'd attempted to escape I had been too sleepy and upset at being woken so late in the night to bother taking him alive, and my arrow had ended up giving a new meaning to stomach piercings. Granted, it wasn't completely my fault, as two crossbow quarrels and another arrow had also stopped him cold. It was a good thing he'd already told us everything he knew beforehand, though.

"So, tomorrow we reach Arachna. Think I should be worried?" I asked myself. "Well, since you're the one who got most of the info, you kinda walked into having to speak with Lumen, then locked the door behind you, so... But then again, this is pretty crucial info. I doubt you'd ever forgive yourself if you didn't go along. Anyway, the only one who knows you as the troublesome idiot from a year ago is Umbra, and there are no guarantees you'll see her, or she'll see you. Plus, not only has it been a year, during which you grew and her memories may have dimmed, but you've dyed your hair, you have some new scars, and all that time in the wilderness gave you a decent amount of weight loss, plus a tan to rival Ev's." Well, I did have a point there. Alright, then!

Glad I'd gone a bit away from the others before I'd talked to myself, I went back. Alongside the tension, our caravan was also weighed by the miserable air that inevitably would accompany losses. This was a fact that I got a painful reminder for when I passed a little girl asking where her mommy was and why she'd been gone for days. Doing my best to block her voice out, I went to where I could see some of the other guards gathering.

Vel, a mischievous fellow with dark hair even longer than mine, was doing the old pebble under a cup game, and making some easy money off the other guards. "Ah, Aadyn. Will I finally be able to net you into a game today?" My savings had gotten a large boost after looting our enemy's corpses, and ever since he'd been trying to get me into some of his games to lighten my wallet a touch or two. So far I'd refused every time, but... Today I was tired, and maybe it would help take my mind off my troubles for a little while.

I set down a pair of silver coins and he showed me the bright green stone that would be under the left cup at the start. He began twisting and sliding the cups across the board he'd placed them on. I barely kept from laughing. I swear that in almost every Pokemon game I've owned they had a point where you could play a game like this once a day. And they would go a lot faster than this, but it wasn't really his fault. If he went much faster, he risked causing the pebble to slide out from underneath or accidentally lift a cup. The trick is, ignore all the little tricks and the other cups, just watch the one you have to pick out after. Easier said than done, but very doable. It was how I'd always done it and once I'd started that, it was a rare thing indeed that I failed in the game. Finally he stopped moving them and asked me to choose. Before he'd finished his sentence I was pointing at the middle cup.

"And he picks the middle. Let's see how your luck is, my friend!" He lifted the cup, and sitting before us was the bright green rock. I laughed and picked up what was now four coins.

"This isn't a game of luck my friends. This is the science of memory, and a quick hand," As I said this I remembered the scene from Robin Hood where he'd said the same thing, though from the other side of the cups than I was. "Another go, then? I'll bet three this time," And after that I was done I silently ordered myself.

He took the offered coins and once again I watched the cups. He was trying a couple new moves now, like placing the three cups together and rotating them, the splitting back up. Not a bad display, I'll admit. But... "The right."

Leaving Vel behind as he tried to get me into one more game with five coins more than when I had first challenged him, I chuckled. That sure was fun, especially since I won. All it takes is a single moment to make the foreseeable future all the brighter. Laying down in the back of one wagon, I closed my eyes and let myself daydream, hoping no idiots would interrupt it this time.

 _It started off as a memory. I was back at home a couple of years ago, waiting for first period to end so I could get away from that idiot Dillon so I wouldn't have to keep listening to my birthmark be called used toilet paper and other, similar items. When the bell rang, it changed._

 _The day was over, and I was sitting by the little pond in my yard. Rather than just brooding there on my own, I had some of my friends nearby, saying he was an idiot and to just ignore all those morons that picked on me. Then they selected some of the sticks I'd gathered over the years for my games and challenged me to face some of them. Grinning wide as I could and then some, I picked one and told them to come at me._

 _But instead I found myself standing alone, wondering why I was holding a tree limb. The ground around me was filled with nothing but dead grass, and I saw someone holding a sword crouching on the small hill next to the walkway. His eyes were down, and he was wearing a jacket with the hood up, keeping me from seeing his face. I walked up to him and realized he was saying something._

 _"-ce of destruction. Anything I come in contact with is destroyed. My only skill or purpose is to end that which is around me, much as I loathe doing so. I am nothing but a force of destruction. Anything I come in-" Over and over again, he repeated this, and it was driving me mad._

 _"Hey, come on. You! Why are you here? Do you need something? Quit saying that already!" At first I thought he couldn't hear me, or was just choosing to ignore me. But after finishing his little mantra, he slowly set his sword aside and lifted his head. Due to me being next to him, I still couldn't see his face, though._

 _A hand reached up to remove the hood, then stopped as if he'd thought better and lowered it again. "Have you ever wished for a new start?" Before I could answer, he went on. "There are few who don't at one point or another. So many choose to leave where they were known and to build their lives anew among those who don't know them. But you would still know, and there is always the chance of things finding you again. But I do wonder. What if, rather than just running and trying but failing to forget whatever misery befell you, you could be reset altogether? Every memory, feeling, all of your mind and heart erased so completely you don't even realize there is anything missing. What would a person who went through this be like, I wonder? Accepting so readily that there was nothing before and building up whoever they will become now. Would that truly work?" I looked at him, utterly perplexed. "I don't expect you to understand. I don't either. Merely the musing of an idle mind wishing he could be sure of who he was, and sure he was who he wanted to be."_

 _Not being sure of who it is you are. Now that's something I can relate to. "I feel the same way rather often. So many of the core aspects of me tend to literally run completely opposite each other. No easy place to be, is it?" He shook his head and began reaching up to remove the hood again. This time I noticed the scars on his hand, hauntingly familiar. I yanked off the hood before he could finish doing so himself, and cried out._

"GYAAAH!" I hurled myself forward. "Another nightmare. And I though that one a year ago was bad..." I had fallen asleep and the wagons had started going sometimes after. The person steering the wagon behind me gave a pitying glance and then began focusing on the horses. I was lucky to be far from the first person to wake up yelling since the attack. Most likely it would be assumed that I was having nightmares about that. At least I wouldn't have to make something up, then. Nobody would ask me about it unless I brought it up.

Hopping off the wagon and onto the road beside it, I landed in a crouch before standing back up. Walking alongside I began looking around. Might as well try to stop digging the hole I put myself in any deeper. If Selethen found out I took a nap, even accidentally, my hide would be added to the tarps covering the wagons.

Within an hour the road began to grow much busier, packed with people, some walking, some riding, some in caravans like our own. About a third of those I saw were Invectids, most of whom were carrying goods of some kind. I was expecting them to seem a touch nervous, maybe, or ready to fight. After all, even with several years of making peace after the war's end, most in the Inner World had gone their whole lives suffering from the fight. For a number, that war would've been all they knew.

The utter lack of these things was a sign of just how hard they must've all worked to build this peace. A glorious sight, to say the least, and inspiring without a doubt. But what I'd learned could put an end to the scene that surrounded me. Despite the risk, I have to make sure Lumen hears what I know. I won't let the end of this come because I was scared.

When we reached the market, Fifer began ordering everyone to set up the goods we'd brought. I started to lift a basket of green apples when Selethen found me. "Put those down and come with me. You're going to tell the prince what you know personally, same as me. Now come on."

I prayed he wouldn't notice just how nervous I was as we drew near to the castle. All the while I kept my eyes peeled for Umbra. But I didn't see her, which was fortunate. Convinced by our urgency, we were given an immediate audience. Inside the throne room, a man who I clearly recognized as Lumen, though several years older now, was speaking with a small group of people, and I overheard something about lowering the tax rate of a certain area. As a herald introduced us, he turned away from them and looked at us.

Selethen began with telling about the attack, explaining the size of the band we had encountered and how he was sure the problem was getting worse. Then he brought me forward, despite a total paralysis of my legs and knees. I opened my mouth, but nothing came out. Several of those in the room chuckled, and I grew even more scared. Then, in my head, I repeated my courage is of the heart and fear is of the mind quote. Slowly the paralysis left, and I began to speak.

"After the battle, I found out we had taken a prisoner. I convinced him that I was skilled at torture and began asking questions. He was terrified, and began to tell me everything. And what I learned wasn't good. This is far from the only band that plagues the area, and not even the largest. Nor are they all simple marauders out for blood money. There are dozens of groups like this, all together making up an army's worth. Not a small army, either."

"I'll be frank, Prince. Whenever someone is in power, they must remember that there is always some idiot who thinks he can do the job better, or simply wants that power to abuse it in whatever way they wish. And all these twits we're warning you about right now are starting to group together behind that exact sort of person. What you have waiting for you is a coup de tat."

The room was very, very quiet after I said this for a while. Then Lumen spoke up. "I don't really understand why we would have this problem. There was never an issue like this during the war against the Invectids, and the Inner World is at peace now. So why?"

"Because when the humans and Invectids were enemies, both races had a common enemy, each other. So there was little point to infighting when there was already such clear opposition. But there are always those who profit from war, plus the countless fighters who in days of peace now have nothing to do. Now they find themselves in a world where the only skills they've known are next to worthless, and besides having nothing to do with their time, they have no money. War is all they know, and as such, war is now what they want. Then there are those who may still hold grudges against the Invectids and disagree with any truce. All these people and more now find themselves full of reasons to try and usurp you. They have their own, twisted views of an ideal Inner World, and it will come at the cost of blood," Unfortunately it was only after I said all this that I realized Lumen hadn't been asking me. Eh, oops!

Lumen and the others with him looked thoughtful. "I thank you for your input and the warning, as does all of Arachna. If you learn anything else, please come back and tell me. And I must also ask you and your companions to stay in the city for now, in case I decide I need you to retell your stories to those on my council. Until then, I bid you a good day."

Bowing slightly, Selethen and I began going out the door. For now, our part was done. Of course, as the doors opened, my luck took a turn for the worst. Someone on the other side shoved the one in front of me, eager to get in I suppose, and hit me in the nose. Several things happened then. First off I was knocked over, clutching my now very sore nose. My bag was sent across the floor, most of the contents spilling out. And perhaps the worst part was Sparkle running in. "Lumen, guess wha- Oh no, I'm so sorry!" I moved my hands so they covered more of my face and began telling her it was fine and no, I didn't need anyone to check my nose or help me gather up my things. But as I put the first of my things back and took my hands away from my face for a second, I had to reevaluate what was the worst part of it...

A startled gasp rang out across the room and everyone turned to look at the princess. No, don't tell me she- "I recognize you!" Crap, she does! "You're the boy who saved me from those wolves a year ago!"

"Uhh, I'm sorry, what? I've never met you before. I'm pretty sure I would remember meeting a princess after a-"

"I know it's you! Who else would have that same birthmark that looks like a black eye?" She's got me there... I knew I should've done something more to cover it up than just count on my long hair! "Come on, quit pretending. You're not getting out of a thank you this time. And why is your hair blue?"

Before I could try to deny it again, Lumen was in front of me. "Answer me truthfully. Did you save my sister?"

Ugh, I think I'd have preferred getting spotted by Umbra. I started to say she must have mistaken me for someone else, but before I could force the words out, something made me stop. My mother raised me right. So why should I be lying? I'm supposed to only lie when I have a very, very good reason after all. I promised that to myself a while back, right? So, then, I guess... Man I am gonna be absolutely terrified!

"Yeah, I found Sparkle a year ago before she could be turned into wolf food. And at the time I asked her to not let anyone know, so how about we repeat that and I just go away now? Please?!"

But after I'd said that it was me, he'd ignored me. Stupid Lumen... You were always my least favorite of the group on the show! "Someone gather up this young man's possessions and lead him to a fine room. He saved my sister's life, and that deserves a reward, one that has been delayed one year by his own refusal to be acknowledged. So I'd say we have something to make up for, right Sparkle?"

"Absolutely!" I tried giving her a glare from where I was, but then she turned to me and gave me a huge smile. She may be older than on the show, but she still has that cute little kid look. Great, now I can't be mad at her! Why me?!

A few minutes later I was in a suite larger than my whole territory back on Earth, which was saying something, my belongings set on a table back in their bag and having to day goodbye to a bewildered Selethen until later on. Oh, COME ON!

Grumbling I went through my bag, looking for something to distract, or perhaps kill myself with. And then, I noticed something odd. "Where'd that thing I found in the cave go?!"

 **(Lumen's POV)**

"My prince, your guest had something odd among his belongings. I thought that perhaps you should see it," I opened one eye and looked at one of the servants, holding a filthy object with a large crystal. "It can't be..."

 **Ya know, for someone who hates foreshadowing and cliffhangers right at the end of things, I'm sure getting good at them. Well, bet you guys weren't expecting that to happen, were you? Is the secret of what I found in the cave going to be revealed soon? And if I'm stuck in the castle, the chances of me running into Umbra are about to skyrocket, don't you all agree? Whoa boy. The next few chapters are gonna be crazy, I'd say. Well, please read and review. Later everyone!**


	9. Quick and quiet, that's the way!

**Whew, five more days... I am getting pretty excited about this. I've started the special chapter, but it's not done and I've opted that unless something comes up, I'm posting it on the anniversary. And yeah, Lumen was funny on the show, but all he thought about was girls, and frankly guys like that tend to get on my nerves. After all, there's more to life than a person's hormones. Disclaimer: I do not own Spider Riders in any way, shape, or form, nor do I claim to. All these rights go to the actual creators. What I do own is the plot line of this fic and my OCs, though some credit goes to TL-Chan for helping me out so much.**

I wandered around the room I'd been put in, wondering about where the object had gone. It must've fallen out of my bag. Wonderful! I'd spent about an hour on the bed trying to go to sleep, but I'd failed like it was my algebra class all over again. Eventually I had mimed waving a white flag and gotten back up. "Alright, so stay or go... What do you think?"

For context, I have spent way more time alone than a than a kid should. Almost the only time I ever got to see my friends was at school due to where I lived. Well, that and my sister did her best to have one of her friends over every weekend, so I ended up just bowing out a lot. The result was my habit of talking to myself. But sometimes the conversations were a touch one-sided, for obvious reasons, and it kept other perspectives outta the picture. So, in my head I created a bit of an alter ego named Nydaxa, who was essentially me, but I had changed up most of the personality traits. So sometimes when I need help with a decision, I add him in to help.

"At the moment, does it really matter? Your mind's already made up. You're paranoid about the risk of running into Umbra, terrified by the attention you'll get as some sorta guest of honor, you hate formalities, and you want to get back to your boat. I'm not seeing much room for input here. But please remember that you run the risk of really hurting Sparkle and Lumen's feelings if you run out like this. Plus staff that may have been assigned to prepare things and help you out could also be upset that you rejected their help so readily," One of the downsides is that we can often have differences of opinion in ways that make my life miserable. "Well, you're the one who set me up this way, so too bad, so sad. And aren't you the one who thinks people should always try to factor in every variable that they can so they can figure out the consequences?"

"Yeah, and that's the reason I keep getting headaches you moronic little- GRRAAAGGHH!" Yeah, he's also a lot more annoying than me. The initial idea was to make him good for a laugh, but... It sorta backfired on me, as you can see quite clearly. "Alright, just shut up already before I make you."

"Good luck with that. Free will, yeah? Meaning you're not the boss of me. I'll say whatever I want, like about when in Kindergarten that g- YYYOOOWWW!" I'd cut him off by sinking my teeth into my forearm. Yeah, it hurt me too a little bit, but I've got a thick hide, and I made his pain tolerance a lot lower than my own for a reason. "I'm going, I'm going, just let go! I'm gone!"

Thank goodness... Alright, even factoring in that nothing else goes wrong, if I'm some guest of honor, then that means Lumen and Sparkle put together will have less attention focused their way than I will. I began to picture it, and very quickly I was running to the restroom.

"Yep, staying is out of the question. I wouldn't stay if it meant my life! I have fainted in front of way smaller groups than what I'm liable to see tonight. Not happening! No, no, no, no, no!" I ran to gather up all my gear, suddenly desperate to leave. Now how am I gonna get out of here? A knock interrupted my thoughts.

"Milord? Fresh clothing for you to wear tonight. May I come in?" Clothes... I looked down at myself and saw that the ones I was wearing were stained with blood, sweat, and I'm not sure what else. Yeep, no wonder they sent replacements.

"Er, yeah, come in, but only if you don't call me milord again." I swear it caused physical pain to hear someone call me that. A kid about a year younger than me came in and set some clothes on the bed, then left. The clothes were ridiculous, and obviously fancy. Ugh, I hate fancy stuff even more than I do being the center of attention! I am DEFINITELY getting out of here.

I went through my bag and found a change of clothes that looked a lot different from the ones I'd worn on the way in. I set my pack so it would look like my belly and added a hat, which is normally something I hate wearing. Now, just avoid anyone who may recognize me, get my pay from Fifer in town, and make my way back to the Templar. Easier said than done, but still doable. Well, time to get going.

Nobody was outside my room, luckily, and I got through part of the palace pretty easily. However... I didn't really know my way around. This isn't the woods, where are you need is a sense of direction. I'll need to know which paths I can take, and I remember how parts of trapped. Good thing Beerain almost ran afoul of those in that one episode. Now, where...?

"-en far too long, Grasshop. You've been missed here in Arachna. You too, Buguese. How goes leading the Invectids?" Lumen's voice came from the hall I'd been about to go down, and I hastily took a step back. Not good! I peeked around the corner and saw Lumen and Sparkle greeting a group of Invectids, including the two whose names I'd heard. Crapcrapcrapcrapcrap! And the gates were right there, too! Why me?!

"A difficult task at times, but rewarding. The most difficult part is burying any enmity that remains with humans. War brings about long memories, particularly one as lengthy as we once faced. But progress is good, and in truth, few of my people hold grudges at this point. May I ask where the others are? It's been a long time since I've seen them after all," Buguese responded to Lumen's question with a surprisingly cheerful tone. I don't think I ever heard him so happy on the show!

"Magma and Aqune are on a patrol at the moment, Umbra is in the city on errands, as is Corona, while Hunter and Igneous are training. I've despatched messengers to all of them with word of your arrival."

OK, well that'll come in handy. Now if only they would move away from the doors! Then Sparkle tackled Grasshop in a hug, nearly throwing him back before his wife Weevil caught him. "Hi there, Uncle Hop!" Huh, she still calls him that. I suppose some things aren't meant to change. "Guess what? Remember when I was in the forest last year and I got hurt? Well the boy who saved me showed up at the palace and he's gonna enjoy the welcome feast with us. I hear he has some really cool stories to tell. Maybe we could ask him about them?" Please tell me she isn't going where I think she is... "In fact, I know where his room is. Wanna come meet him?" Please, NO!

"Sparkle, you saw his reaction earlier, and you explained how he asked you not to tell anyone about him when he saved you. He's clearly very shy. Maybe you shouldn't start introducing a bunch of people to him all at once. It wouldn't be fair to him," I quickly rescinded my comment about hating Lumen. Now if he were to just move the party along one of the other hallways, I'd let him replace Hunter as my favorite Spider Rider. "Besides, there will be plenty of time for introductions tonight. For now, allow me to show you to your rooms. The usual ones are undergoing maintenance. This way, everyone!" To my horror, he went down the exact path to where I was. Snapdragons!

I ducked back and turned down another hall with a bunch of statues that were most likely of Lumen's ancestors and hid behind one as they went away. Phew, close one!

Coming out from behind the statue, I ran out the doors and into the city. Now, I think I can remember where we stopped when we arrived. After that, buy a horse and get back to the Templar. Once that's done, back to my little haven I go for another year and hope that this time nobody remembers me when I try to find things out again.

The streets were crowded like you wouldn't believe, and I began ducking, sidestepping, dodging, halting and contorting myself in the rhythm that had become familiar in the school hallways. You won't believe how often I came close to major injuries in that mess, and don't get me started on when I had to use stairs! "Excusemesorrycomingthroughmybadcarefulsorryexcusemecomingthroughbegpardonwhoaexcusemesorrycomingthroughificouldjustsqueezethroughherepleaseyipeincomingwideloadonthewaysorryexcuseme..." Yeah, that went on and on as I worked my way through the crowds while making sure I didn't get in anyone's way. Problem is, getting in somebody's way is one of the few things I'm good at...

"GYAAGH!" I ended tripping on my own two stupid feet, tumbling down on top of someone and smashing whatever they were carrying, though most of it just got scattered. "Man, I'm so sorry! Here, lemme help. I'm really sorry, again. I'll pay you for whatever it is I busted, alright? Just let me-Er, mind moving that foot? You're about to step on an orange. Thanks, and sorry." Once I had everything, I held it out to whoever I'd hit while bowing with my eyes closed. Ugh, when I put it that way I sound like an anime character. "Here ya go. One more time, I am SO sorry. I didn't mean to do that, it's just that I can be kinda clumsy sometimes, and-"

A voice cut through my somewhat long-winded apology. Yeah, those tend to be among my longest conversations. "It's alright, now calm down. I'm sure it was an accident, and if you keep apologizing I'll miss an event I'm supposed to be at tonight," Er, that's actually a really familiar voice. Where have I heard it before? Cracking open one eyelid, I almost yelled. Umbra!

"Uh, o-ok then. How much do I owe you for what I ruined? I'll pay you that and get out of your way. But for the last time, I'm sorry. Sometimes it seems like my only skills are breaking things and getting in everyone's way."

"Seriously, you don't have to pay me. It wasn't anything expensive, and to be honest, half of that stuff I just bought because it was on sale. Now calm down. It seemed like you were in a hurry, so just get where you were going, 'k?"

Keeping my face down, I returned her stuff and left, quick as I could. Holy crocodiles, that was closer than the time I stepped on a pair of snakes fighting each other outside my bedroom! Soon enough, she was far behind me, luckily not knowing who I was. Oh, thank goodness!

When I reached the spot where I'd left the wagons this morning, there was a large number of stalls raised with people clamoring to buy the products. Must be a good time of year for trading, and by extension, the economy. No wonder the city was so crowded. Putting my pack where it belonged and tossing the hat to who knows where, I got behind the stalls and found Fifer leaning against a tent, looking lost in thought.

"So, where's my ten silvers? I've got something important waiting for me back in that village where you hired me," I said, and he stiffened before looking at me.

"Where've you been? Selethen was making some claim that the princess called you a hero and you were staying at the castle. Of course, I responded with the question of how many taverns he'd visited on the way back and he just stomped off to find a couple guards who were supposed to be working, not out exploring the city. I don't envy them!" I shivered and thought about the poor saps. When it came to finding slackers, Selethen was better than a bloodhound. And he showed about as much mercy as a villain in a Goosebumps book, too. Fifer chuckled and handed me a pouch, which I emptied out before counting.

"Uh, boss? You gave me too much. This is 25, not ten. That is literally 2 1/2 times what we agreed on. Here," I tried to hand back the excess, but he shook his head and put his hands in his pockets.

"Kid, sometimes you don't make sense. You get your pay, and then when you get extra argue about it being too much? Someday someone will take advantage of you and teach you a hard lesson about life. Anyway, I told you, the guards get a bonus if there's an incident, remember?" Oh, that. "So keep your pay and I hope I can hire you again someday. Until then!" He walked away, leaving me holding a bunch of precious metal.

I shoved the money back into the pouch and slipped it into my backpack next to the money I'd gotten from Sparkle. Now, a horse and then I'll be able to follow the road easily enough.

Asking around found me at a large building with a horseshoe on the sign. Well, that's one way to make it clear what you're doing, yeah? I went in, or rather, I started to. Until I remembered that I am a terrible rider!

I was pretty good when I was really little, but when I got older, well... I forgot how to do it, and developed a fear of falling off the horse. Funny thing is, it happened at about the same time I forgot how to ride a bike. Yeah, I know, they say riding a bike is something you never forget how to do, but I distinctly remember riding one all the time, then I don't for a couple of months and when I try again, it didn't end well. I couldn't remember how to balance myself!

"Well this isn't good..." Still, maybe riding a horse that's wearing a saddle will make a difference. I sure hope it does... I went inside and caught the strong scent of large animal, and all the accompanying, less pleasant scents. "Hello? I'd like to buy a horse, please!"

"Be with you in a minute!" The voice came from one of the stalls, and seconds later a man came out holding a bucket full of oats, or at least something like them. "So, what kind are you looking for?"

Well, two years of ag class may come in handy here. Although, most of what I remember is breeds and colors, so... I remember I thought destriers were cool, especially when I learned some can actually have a dark blue coat, but they're also war horses. Then again, I've seen for myself the roads can be dangerous lately.

"I'd like a destrier, reasonably quick with good stamina and won't panic easily. But I'm also limited in my riding experience, so something gentle, too. Considering that last one, a stallion would be a bad idea, so better a mare or gelding. Plus, I need some good riding gear and food for a few days, plus some hygienic kit as well."

I realized that was a lot to work on, and it may be difficult to find one that fit everything I'd asked for. But the stableman just looked thoughtful and gestured for me to wait there before going away. I heard a few stalls open and close, some whinnies that were likely greetings, and a voice call for me.

Following it, I found myself behind the building in a large, grassy area where the horses were probably given their exercise. The fellow I'd seen inside was holding a group of a dozen horses that I recognized as destriers, exactly as I'd asked. "Lucky for you, we have plenty of these. Used to be a lot of demand for them before the war ended, but now we have a bunch less of that with plenty of supply. All these ones fit what you asked for."

I looked them over, rather at a loss for what to do. Noticing my hesitation, he grabbed a saddle and reins he'd set aside. "Help me put these on old Quin there," I followed his gaze to where an older destrier was snacking on the grass, likely too far along in years to be bought. He led Quin over, and I set the saddle on his back. Remembering something that had been described in several books I'd read, I noticed his belly was a lot bigger than it should've been. See, horses will take a deep breath to swell up their torsos momentarily and make sure the saddle doesn't have such a snug grip. Sorry, old timer! I kneed his belly, same as the characters I'd read about, and the air came out with a whoosh. Then I buckled the straps and took a step back.

"OK, you know how to saddle him. Now hop on up, and let's see how you ride. After that I can make some suggestions," I gulped and looked at my soon to be ride. He, in turn, looked at me. I stroked his long neck to calm myself, and slowly began climbing into the saddle. Quin pranced a bit, and I gripped the reins until my knuckles were white. "Come on, he's not gonna throw you off. Just use your leg to tap his sides, not too hard, and he'll get going."

I took a deep breath and quoted my little speech about fear and courage in my head. Alright, then, before I can scare myself out of it! I gave Quin's side a firm thump, and he began moving forward at a calm pace, then another, softer tap got him to speed up slightly. After a few minutes of this, I pulled his reins and began climbing down, giving his neck a pat. "That was actually kinda fun."

We took off the gear, and Quin went back to grazing. "Alright, I think I have a few suggestions," He led half the horses back into the stables, and I looked over the ones remaining.

The first was a sturdily built red gelding who seemed content to ignore me. The second was a gray mare who wouldn't stay still. The third one was another mare, this time dark blue, who seemed rather excited. The fourth was a stallion with a gray coat and brown spots. The fifth was a young colt who was probably too young to actually hold my weight. Maybe the guy was underestimating my size. The last one was another gelding with a yellow coat and a nick in his ear. For some reason I kept going back to the third one, likely because blue is my favorite color.

"That's Verity. Don't ask us how, but she seems to know when someone's lying. If someone does and she hears it, she stamps her front left leg. Pretty friendly, and she also fits all the criteria you covered. But she's not cheap, she'll cost you 28 gold, 3 silver. Of course, that includes all the gear you asked for as well."

I wondered about it, then remembered that in this world, haggling is no problem. "How about 22 gold for the horse and kit?"

His eyes widened. "Please! 27 gold with the gear."

"24 gold, 6 silver."

"25 gold, 2 silver."

"24 gold, 9 silver."

"I'll get the equipment you asked for, but payment up front," I took out the agreed amount and gave it to him. Nodding, he turned and began bringing stuff out of a smaller building near where Quin was relaxing. He showed me how I could attach most of the extra kit to the saddle, which also had a satchel on either side where some of the smaller stuff was stored.

Once I climbed on, Verity turned and looked at me. I patted her neck and handed her an apple from my bag, which reminded me that I needed to buy some food and water before I left the city. I rode her out of the building, glad the shop was away from the enormous crowds I'd encountered before. Soon enough my pouches where I kept my money were much lighter, but the food, a couple tools, and some seeds for planting made the costs worthwhile.

Once I was outside the city gates and a bit away from the smaller than before crowds I'd seen arriving, I turned and took a look. As I did, though, I noticed something odd. I pulled out the small collapsible spyglass I'd bought and looked at the palace. There were several people scrambling about like a disturbed anthill. Cripes, guess I've been missed. "Alright Verity, let's get going!" I gave her sides a solid squeeze and she began galloping forward. "Sorry you lot, but I've got my own plans for the moment, and they do not involve getting shoved in front of a bunch of people or recognized by a girl who likely holds a grudge," After all, what was the old saying? Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned, and she had plenty of reason to hate me.

 **(Umbra's POV** )

I shook my head in bewilderment as palace staff ran about with seeming no idea what they were even trying to do. They're acting like we're under attack when it's just a guest who chickened out. Then again, it kinda made sense. This guy saved Sparkle, though I remember her insisting at the time she'd just outsmarted the wolves. Of course, not long after I got a bit tied up with other issues. And that pun was unintentional, not to mention terrible.

Remembering that idiot who'd beaten up Magnus then abducted me brought about a mix of anger and confusion, same as it had every time I thought about it since. Normally I'm good at figuring people out, but he really made no sense. A few times he'd been really nice, at others terrified. There was that one night when he'd started thrashing and screaming that it was all his fault, and I'd had to fake being asleep when he woke up. I could've sworn he seemed worried about someone, but that doesn't makes sense for a criminal or troublemaker. Then again, he did kick me, and he hasn't been heard from since. Now we have bandits in somewhat the same area that I lost him? He may be odd, but he's trouble, without a doubt.

"Will everyone please calm down?" Prince Lumen's voice cut through the chaos like my axe, and I knelt. "Umbra, you're back. Good. Maybe you can help with this," I looked up at him and he continued. "I'd like you to track him down. I think he just lost his nerve, probably shy. But we need to repay him, and I can't do that if he's halfway across the Inner World. Do you mind tracking him down? He's a big fellow, about your age, with a birthmark on his left eye and dyed blue hair."

Wait, that sounds like...

 _"GYAAGH!" Someone crashed into me, landing on top of me and knocking most of my groceries away, though some of it got smashed between us. He scrambled off, apologizing and gathering the scattered stuff. Once he had everything, he held it out to me and bowed, apologizing again. "Here ya go. One more time, I am SO sorry. I didn't mean to do that, it's just that I can be kinda clumsy sometimes, and-" I barely avoided laughing at his antics as I interrupted him._

 _"It's alright, now calm down. I'm sure it was an accident, and if you keep apologizing I'll miss an event I'm supposed to be at tonight."_

 _"Uh, o-ok then. How much do I owe you for what I ruined? I'll pay you that and get out of your way. But for the last time, I'm sorry. Sometimes it seems like my only skills are breaking things and getting in everyone's way."_

 _"Seriously, you don't have to pay me. It wasn't anything expensive, and to be honest, half of that stuff I just bought because it was on sale. Now calm down. It seemed like you were in a hurry, so just get where you were going, 'k?" He left, clearly still in a hurry. "Heh, he was pretty funny. Maybe I should've asked if he wanted to hang out sometime. He'd be great for a laugh every now and then. Too bad I didn't see his face..."_

I gasped, and Prince Lumen looked at me. "Your Majesty, I think I bumped into him on my way back to the castle. He tripped and landed on me then wouldn't stop apologizing."

"He did seem somewhat accident prone when I met him... Perhaps you're right. But there's another reason besides thanking him that makes finding him urgent."

He glanced around and pulled me aside, lowering his voice as he continued. "He came in to report a bandit problem, but as he was about to leave, Sparkle ran in to tell us about Buguese and the others arriving. The door she threw open knocked him over and made his things spill all over the throne room. She recognized him and told us he saved her from the wolves. I ordered he be given a room and prepared for being a guest of honor tonight. But afterwards, one of the staff who gathered up his belongings brought me an item that he'd kept so he could show it to me."

"Well, what was it?" To get Lumen to act like this, it must be pretty important. He reached into his pocket and pulled something out.

"It was covered in rust and stone, but I had it polished up. I had planned to ask about it after the feast, but..." As he brought it forth I couldn't believe my eyes. Nestled in his hands was a manacle.

 **And, that's it! Ha, cliffhangers are actually becoming a lot more fun, provided I'm on this side of them. I know that with Umbra, that makes 8 already, but I'll explain on the next proper chapter, not the special one though. But now I'm back to my little sanctuary... If I've dodged Umbra for a year, how's she gonna catch me this time? Well, even I don't know yet. Also, some vocab context on horses special for this chapter.**

 **Filly: A female horse who is a year old or younger**

 **Colt: A male horse a year or younger**

 **Gelding: A castrated male horse (If you don't know what castrated means, I am not explaining, so look it up!)**

 **Stallion: An adult male horse**

 **Mare: An adult female horse**

 **And yeah, the kneeing the horse trick? I'm pretty sure that's true, I've seen it done in real life. And (not so) great news! We have a return on an annoying guest to the author notes...**

 **SA: Annoying? Remember that you're talking about yourself here, so be careful which adjectives you utilize.**

 **Me: I am well aware. I've made a point of making you exactly like myself, down to only being good at breaking things and getting in people's way. So anything I say, such as stupid, annoying, insane, murderous, smelly, or- actually, on the long hair we have a difference now since I got tired of my hair in my eyes partway through the chapter and decided to cut it. Who needs Pro Cuts when you have your own scissors? Ya don't even need a mirror!**

 **SA: Yeah? Well how about I explain about that little nightmare last chapter, or when Nydaxa almost blabbed partway through. Too bad for you you made him exactly the same as the real deal too, isn't it?**

 **Me: Ahem! Back off, blabbermouth, or else. I'm the author, and that means I control you. In the world of fiction, previous laws no longer apply, and you would do well to remember that. (As if to prove my point, my eyes briefly become reptilian and one glows blue while the other is bloodred, then change back to brown and very human)**

 **SA: Whoa, ok, calm down! Don't lose your temper, ok? You've held that side of yourself down pretty well the last couple years. Don't throw it away on me, ok? Well?**

 **Me: (Growls)**

 **SA: Gangway! I'm flying the coop!**

 **Me: Add being scared of myself to the list of ways I made sure he was the same as the real deal.**

 **Anyway, ignore that mess, actually. As always, please tell me what you think. After all, it's hard to get better on your own. Give me your thoughts, even if it's just to say I'm messing up. Otherwise, how will I know to fix whatever I'm getting wrong? Later!**


	10. Slice of life

**Here's the special chapter on Umbra. Just a bit that's more along the lines of her daily life after we parted ways. But it may be clunky, because while I am trying to put myself in Umbra's mindset, I've never been good at that sort of thing, which is actually one of the reasons I prefer doing these self-inserts. But, anyway... Hope you guys like it. Disclaimer: I do not own Spider Riders, and do not claim to, either. All credit must go where it is due, with the actual creators. What I do own is the plot line of this fic and my OCs, though some credit for Umbra goes to TL-Chan, for helping me set her up early on.**

I walked through Slipstream Village, trying to stay calm but failing utterly. Being a Spider Rider means I have to be really brave, and never give up. But I just couldn't help being so nervous. After all, I was going to see Magnus.

I still remember that first time we met 7 years ago. We'd both grown up in the village, but his father, a fisherman, tended to take him with him on a lot of fishing and trading voyages. So half his childhood was spent on the river, rather than in the village. Plus, we were both kind of loners growing up.

For Magnus, that ended after his father chose to quit fishing and join the town guard. Suddenly he wasn't out on the water every few days and could spend time with the other kids. He became well known for being fun to hang out with, and made it his personal mission to ensure everyone had plenty of fun, not just him.

My case was more complicated. I did enjoy other people's company, it's just... I had a tendency to play too rough with the others. I may have been small, but I was also strong. See, my father is the village smith and I liked helping him out, usually by carrying things since I was too young to do much else. So I got kinda scared that I would end up hurting them.

But Magnus wouldn't have any of it. When he heard about me, he went up to me and pretty much dragged me into a game. Pretty soon, I was having so much fun I thought I'd died. With help from him, I broke my self made exile and had more friends than I thought any single person could have. But Magnus, he was my best friend, and a lot of the time I was among the first people he asked to hang out with.

I'm not really sure when I fell for him, though. I didn't even realize how much I cared until he started dating Ruby. I'd been made into a Spider Rider not long before that due to Glace rescuing me from a rabid wolf. But after I left for Arachna to make it official and returned, he told me he had asked her out. I was totally heartbroken, and it was a rather cruel way for me to find out how I felt.

But that idiot with a half built raft did manage to do me a favor, whatever he'd been up to. He'd been right that they just didn't belong together. Ruby had learned what had really happened and apologized for overreacting, but had also decided that they were better off seeing other people. Magnus had been pretty upset, and while I feel a tiny bit guilty about it, I was overjoyed. Here was the chance I'd been waiting for!

I stopped outside his house and stalled for a moment, checking to make sure the dress I'd bought for this would do the trick. Of course, I realized I was procrastinating and knocked on the door before I ended up standing there for an hour too scared to move. The door opened and Magnus stepped through.

He looked me over for a second. "Do I kn- Hang on, Umbra? Why're you of all people in a dress?" Swallowing my nerves I gave a little spin like the girls in the stories did.

"I just wanted to try something else. Whatcha think? Do I look nice?" He nodded and I had to keep myself from jumping with joy. "I thought you could do with some cheering up. Come on, I hear Whitley has some treats she's handing out," Whitley, one of our old friends, was a girl about a year younger than us whose family had a talent for making tasty desserts and snacks. She was also the only person in the village besides my parents who knew how I felt about Magnus, and when I'd asked her to help me, had decided to intentionally make too much last night to fit in the shop's inventory. So far, everything according to plan!

Magnus in particular had always loved her family's foods, and he quickly grabbed a small sack he had for special occasions like this. I had to laugh at the way he was tripping over himself to get out the door, and he tried to glare at me, but instead ended up laughing himself. "I bet I looked ridiculous, huh? Now come on, before it's all gone!" He grabbed me by the wrist and started running, which I'm glad about. It gave me a good excuse to be turning red.

When we got to Whitley's shop, she was handing out the treats with a smile. Once we came in, she filled up Magnus' sack and when his back was turned shot me a wink. I made a cut it out gesture and followed him out. "Thanks, Umbra. If been kinda down ever since Ruby and I split up. You've stuck with me through a lot during the years," I could feel my heart going wild as he said this. This was my chance! But he wasn't done yet. "You're like a sister to me. Family, without a doubt. We'll always have each other's backs, right?" I felt my heart, which had been soaring mere moments ago, crash down hard enough to shake the ground.

"Yeah, friends till the end, that's all. No worries, I'll always be sure to look out for you!" And maybe with a bit of time, he'll realize just how much I love him. He offered me some of the sweets, but I shook my head, claiming I wasn't hungry. Then I told him goodbye and went home to take off the stupid dress I'd worn for nothing.

 **Well, that was a unique challenge. I've never written something like this before, and from a girl's perspective. I know, it's short, but that wasn't easy for me to write. I'm no expert on this sorta thing after all. And I'm gonna write another chapter real quick, too. Please tell me what you think. Later!**


	11. Rotten luck is usually what I've got

**I wasn't expecting to write this so soon, literally only about 36 hours after I finished the last one, even less if you count the chapter on Umbra I just completed. TL, I'm sorry to disappoint you, but that's not why I had Buguese so happy. Think, his people are no longer suffering as they did under Mantid's reign. No consuming envy directed towards the humans anymore, just people getting to enjoy life properly. I'm not making Aqune and Buguese a thing in this. Frankly, I think they have more of a father and daughter sorta deal myself. Plus, remember that he is a lot older than her, too. Also, there are books for Spider Riders? Really?! Man, I wish I could've read those... I'd love it! Er, getting off track here... Disclaimer: I do not own Spider Riders, and since I'm honest, make no claims to. All credit goes to the actual geniuses who came up with it when I was a little kid. What I do claim ownership of is the plot line that continues to grow, and my OCs, though some credit goes to TL for lending a hand or two in my early days of writing.**

I rode Verity for a couple hours before reminding myself that even the best of horses can only hold such a pace for so long, and that I should save some energy for an emergency. I'd seen for myself that these roads were dangerous after all. I pulled on the reins, and she slowed to a walking pace, looking back at me as if to ask why I was holding her back. Rather than turn myself into an Araluen Ranger from the books by John Flanagan, I handed her an apple.

With that done, I chose to play safe rather than sorry and pulled out my bow, holding an arrow in one hand as I looked around me. True, a lone rider wasn't likely to be the best payday for some robber, but being on my own projected a small image of possible vulnerability. I was reminded of something from the Wereworld books I'd read, how a larger party and a smaller one both had risks and benefits. A large group was noticeable, yes, but better able to protect themselves. A smaller one was less likely to be noticed, but if they got targeted, they were easier to overwhelm. Plus, while I wasn't wearing anything that would scream rich, I was riding a good horse, my equipment wasn't half bad and there was plenty of room for money in my bags. This was definitely a risky endeavor at the moment.

About another hour passed before I saw something behind me. Crap, was it someone who was sent after me? There were a lot of roads I could've taken, but then again, I hadn't exactly been sneaking when I left the city. And if they asked Selethen of Fifer or anyone else from the caravan, they may be able to guess at my destination, which could be worse. If they knew where I was going, then even if I lost them for a while, they could just try to get to that town before I did. Oh, boy...

To my relief, it was just someone going past me on a horse of his own in a big hurry. A quick hello was all he gave me, though I noticed he had a box strapped to his saddle. Some sort of courier I suppose, on a delivery. Provided he wasn't also carrying news that Lumen was looking for me, I was fine with that. I relaxed slightly before reminding myself that there was still possible danger lurking around me. Making sure to keep looking around, I continued.

The next couple days were uneventful, just the occasional other traveler on their way. When I reached the spot where we'd been ambushed, I went through a lot faster and tense enough I wouldn't be surprised if someone mistook me for a statue. But nothing happened and I relaxed. A bit too soon, though.

Not long afterwards, a yell from my side made me start. A group that seemed larger than the one that attacked us was surrounding me. Noting that to take them on would be suicide, I opted instead to run and fight another day. I got Verity to a gallop, and when some of them moved in front of me, I shot the only one with a spear and put aside my bow so I could draw my sword. An idiot with a club jumped right in front of us, but I call him an idiot for a reason. Cavalry charges were a popular tactic for a reason. A well bred horse could knock men aside as if they were nothing. Some weapons made that a more risky proposition, which was why I'd killed the one with a spear, but a club? Yeah, sure. He was flattened by Verity and I think one of her rear hooves got him, because I heard a scream that was abruptly cut off by a wet sounding yelp. Swinging my blade, one fellow got a cut across his face that went all the way to the bone. Unlikely that he would survive that one, I say. Gripping the saddle, I removed one foot from its stirrup and kicked another marauder, breaking his nose. Another one went down before Verity and then we were clear of them, making a break. The only injuries either of us had gotten was a painful cut on my thigh from the guy whose nose I'd broken.

Once we were far away, I had Verity stop and pulled my spyglass back out. They weren't chasing us, luckily. But a group that big... They could cause all kinds of damage. But what could I do on my own? Then guerrilla tactics popped into my head, quick hit and run strikes meant to whittle down the numbers of a larger group, even the playing field. It won the American Revolution, and caused all kinds of issues throughout the ages in other conflicts.

Like I said before, smaller groups do have some advantages. I can get in, kill a couple, and ride off before they even knew I'd been there. And a force that size tends to take time to organize. Well, then... "Ready to make some trouble, Verity?" An excited whinny showed she knew where I was going. I turned around and we began riding back, though I kept my spyglass out and periodically checked on them. They were moving away from the road at first, but stopped partway through, and I could tell they were excited about something. Someone else must be coming through! Ugh, what unlucky sap chose now of all times to go through here? Then I turned my glass towards the road and couldn't stop myself from cursing, glad my mother was literally worlds away. You've gotta be kidding me! Out of all the people in the Inner World?!

 **(Umbra's POV)**

I'd spent days trying to find Prince Lumen's runaway guest, but though I knew I'd been on his trail when I left Arachna, since then it seemed to have grown cold. I'd learned a bit more about him when I'd asked the other people from the caravan who'd come to the city as a part of, but the idea that he was going back to the town where he'd been hired was little more than grasping at straws if I'm honest. But I have a duty to perform, and besides, there was the manacle from his bag to consider.

According to Lumen, it was an old one, probably hadn't been used in generations. Of course, the presence of a ninth manacle had stunned me until he explained that while there were eight Riders destined to defeat Mantid, our numbers had varied over the course of history, though the most there had ever been at once was 12, and the smallest was when King Arachna had been the first and only for years before being able to start recruiting others. Likely to prove his point, he reminded me that if there were only 8 manacles, then I couldn't be a Rider now, since when Quake had moved on he had taken his with him, and it was yet to be found.

I should've been more vigilant, but I was lost in thought when Glace told me to brace myself. I pulled myself out of my thoughts and saw a small army's worth of bandits on the road ahead of us. Guess the information Aadyn had given Lumen about other, larger bands in the area was accurate.

"Well, well. One fly slips through the web only for a spider and its friend to become ensnared. There's a fee if you want to get through my road, girlie. And if you don't have the coin, well... We could always do with a servant, and a Spider Rider would make a fine prize indeed!" Around the ugly lout who'd spoken, dozens, if not more, voices called out in agreement, with some references leaving little doubt what he meant by servant.

"Ready, Glace? Let's make them regret their life choices," She nodded assent and I lifted my manacle. "Arachna Power!" The light of Spirit Oracle surrounded me and Glace's body armored itself, while my own armor began to form around me. On my shoulders, torso, forearms and shins sturdy plate mail attached itself to me, with lighter, more flexible metal strips filling the gaps between. A kite shaped shield appeared on my left wrist, and in my right I hefted my axe, finding its weight reassuring.

The leader's eyes narrowed, likely annoyed with my resistance, and he barked out a command, causing about a dozen arrows to come flying at us. Glace dodged them easily, and we charged with my battle cry echoing around us. We crashed through, right into the middle of their force, but I'd underestimated them. Not only were there at least a couple hundred of them, but they were more skilled than I expected. Glace tried to make a leap and give us some space, but several ropes I hadn't noticed before were slung around her legs, halting her completely. This wasn't good...

As Glace tried to get out of the ropes, another caught my hand and pulled me off her. I landed on the ground and found myself looking at a guy with a broken nose that was still bleeding, and I mentally congratulated whoever did that, until he lifted his sword and I realized I'd lost my grip on my axe, which was now just out of reach.

"Say goodbye, wench!" He started to lower the sword and I found myself gazing at it with morbid fascination. So, I thought, this is what will kill me. That is, until another sword seemed to suddenly grow out of his stomach, causing him to drop it instead. A voice came from behind him.

"And here I was thinking that just busting your nose was me being nice before. Well, I'll just remedy that little mistake, shall I?" The sword was removed from his belly before swiping across his neck. Then the guy who'd run into me days ago, the runaway guest I was looking for, handed me my axe. "Start using that thing already and let's get out of here!"

 **(Aadyn's POV)**

I'm not gonna lie, I felt a lot of satisfaction from decapitating that idiot. Umbra got up, holding her axe like she meant business. Good. "We need to cut those ropes, then we can get away from these morons and back to my horse. I just bought her and I'm not letting some idiotic human buzzard use her on the next travelers to come through here. You cut the ropes, and I'll do the same to these idiots. Agreed?" Before she could respond I continued. "Good, now hop to it. HRAAGH!"

I rammed my shoulder into the bandit right in front of me, then used my shield to hit him in the neck, breaking it like a twig. The next guy fared no better, a slash parried aside before once again my shield was brought into play, this time on his knee, bringing him to the ground before I sliced his throat. Ducking under a rusty mace, I brought my blade up, forward, and back beside me within moments as the bloody socket that once held an eye fell back away from me. As Thorn said in Brotherband, three centimeters of point is just as good as thirty of edge. I began spinning, holding out both blade and shield, making sure the latter of the two was held horizontally to cut wind resistance. The first two who came close were smashed and hacked like nothing, and the others backed away. I stopped my spin and opted to hamstring another of the idiots, remembering something else he'd mentioned. In a fight with a small group of superior skilled fighters against a large group, momentum is key. I can't give them time to regroup or remember how badly I'm outnumbered.

A shout from Umbra made me look behind me. Glace was no longer wrapped up and they seemed ready to leave. I did my best to get back to them, but one enemy, apparently emboldened by my retreat, tried to get me with a spear. His aim was off, but all that meant was I cut a cut going across my shoulder blades. "YOW!" I spun quickly and shoved my sword up under his rib cage and kept going till the tip emerged from his collarbone. "Wanna try that again?" His eyes glazed over and I removed my weapon from his carcass. "I didn't think so. Who's next, then?" They backed up quickly and then I ran to Glace and Umbra, hopping on with a lot less grace than the verbiage implied.

"Hang on!" Umbra yelled to me, but before I could ask to what Glace leaped.

"My horse is over there. I'm not ditching her!" Glace turned in the direction I'd pointed and we landed next to Verity. I hopped up on her and looked to Umbra. "Let me guess, back to Arachna?" With a resigned sigh I turned Verity. "Let's at least go around those guys rather than try to smash through them all."

With a this way from Umbra, we went to the left of the horde, Verity at a full gallop and Glace going pretty quick herself. But I'd seen those spiders move on the show and knew that if she wanted, we would be eating her dust no matter how hard I pushed Verity. The pace jarred my injury and I had to stop myself from crying out. This won't be a fun ride...

When night fell we stopped. That was when Umbra noticed is been injured. "Here, let me help," I waved her off.

"It's not like you owe me anything. I don't deserve your help," I suppose it was my miserable tone that made her study me more closely. "After all, not only is it my fault you ran into those idiots, but there was all that ruckus last time we met."

"You knocking me over on accident isn't all that bad. Now here, let me-" I stepped back and lit the fire so it would better show my face.

"Might as well get this out of the way now. Take a good look and picture my arm in bandages with my hair black instead of blue," She seemed bewildered, but examined me more closely. I'd picked up a few scars and a tan, but a face as ugly as mine isn't easily forgotten, now is it?

She gasped and her glare cut through me, harsh and accusatory. "You! You're the one from last year! You-!" She tackled me and took my knife before holding it to my neck. "Alright, what did you do with the guy I was sent to find? Did you steal his horse and leave him beside the road hoping to get some reward from pretending to be him? Is that it?" The knife was cutting into my throat despite a lack of pressure. Oh, why did I decide to sharpen it so much?!

"You're about to cut my throat, get off!" I grabbed the arm that held my knife and shoved it aside, then kicked her away from me. "If I wanted some stupid reward I wouldn't have run off, would I? Wouldn't have asked her to never tell anyone about me, either. But then a year later what happens?! My bad luck causes her to run right into me and tell everyone who I was. And now all this mess! Look, I'd rather my life not be any more miserable than it's become since I gut stuck in this dumb world of yours, so just give me back my knife and let me return to my ship!" The words just came roaring out of me, and I clapped my hands over my mouth once I'd realized what I'd said. Seeing her stunned expression, I ran to Verity and got on, ready to leave. However, I'd forgotten about Glace. Her threads stopped me before we could even start running and pinned my arms to my sides. Crap!

Umbra came up to me, looking seriously confused. "You are going to tell me exactly what you meant just now, and I will take you to Arachna Castle. The prince and princess can tell me if you are who you claim to be or not. After that..." She let her words trail off meaningly and I groaned. I just can't win, can I?!

 **Well, I'm gonna be miserable for a while, aren't I? This is looking pretty unfair for the me in the story. I'm feeling miserable just typing it! Still, that's another one down. But after this one I intend to slow down cause my other stories are just gathering dust while this was all stuck in my head. Well, please tell me what you think, guys. Later!**


	12. Something deep within

**Well, just cause I'm falling behind on my other stories doesn't mean I can't try to keep up on this one too. And, TL, I get where your thoughts on Buguese admiring Aqune come from, but that's wasn't the way I saw it. To my eyes, he was at war with himself. His loyalty to Mantid, desire to help his people, and hate of humans conflicted with his fondness he'd formed for her. And the eight legs of an arachnid theory you had, makes a lot of sense. But at the times when they mentioned other Riders at various points in the show actually gave me my idea. Both hold merit... I'd love to find out if either one of us is right, but most likely we'll have to stick with our best guesses. Anyhow... Now I'm being dragged back to Arachna as a prisoner, and whoa boy. This will not be a pleasant trip... Disclaimer: Short and sweet this time, I don't own Spider Riders, and don't claim to. Now, enjoy you guys! Then again, I think TL and I are the only ones who read this, but either way.**

As you may imagine, it wasn't a pleasant trip. Umbra took away my weapons and what armor I had, then kept them with Glace, while I was tied up and left on Verity. I didn't bother trying to bolt. It was my own fault I was in this mess, and any attempts would only make things worse. Outside food and clothing, all my things were with my weapons, and she could hunt me down easily. There wasn't any way that would turn up in my favor.

"You're an Earthen, aren't you?" She'd asked me questions constantly since my capture, if it could be called that, but that was one of them that came up the most. She hopped back and forth between seeing if I was the runaway guest or a fake, but I wouldn't answer on anything. Didn't make her leave me alone, though. "Lunchtime." Not this again...

One method she'd tried for loosening my tongue was gorging herself on the excess of our combined rations, and proclaiming loudly about how delicious it all was at every meal. But I was only fed once a day at dinner, and moderately. I wasn't being starved, but it was awful. She's clever, I'll give her that. By now she'd noticed I was more bothered if she went through the fruit, my favorite, and kept eating it all herself. In that account, I truly hated her. "Just answer one question, and I'll give you an apple. Come on. Any question at all," Hold off. Now that may be useful.

"Alright. The answer is eight, now gimme that apple!" I jerked forward a touch.

"Excuse me? Where do you get eight from any of my questions?"

"You said any question, so I made the question what is 2 cubed, or 2 times itself 3 times. The answer is eight. I did what you said, now you owe me an apple, or are you a liar?" She huffed and tossed the apple at me instead, hitting me on the nose, which stung!

"Don't try any more tricks, or else. Got it?"

"No, I didn't get it. It's lying over there. And did you have to hit my nose? That stings," Keeping myself from chuckling, I jerked my head at the apple now laying on the ground a foot or so away from me. She didn't look amused, so I changed tactics. "Fine. Seven."

She glared at me. "What's the trick this time, you snake?"

"How many of those idiots I know I killed after I got to you, including your would be executioner, with the busted nose. Two while I was riding away, and Verity got one, maybe two as well if the second guy was killed. But I didn't hear any crunch after she knocked him down, so I'm not sure. When I saw you getting surrounded, I think I killed four on the way there, and about a dozen, maybe more, that I don't know for sure are dead, but all wounded at some point. And on the trip to Arachna, I killed five. That's nineteen dead, and a lot of blood on my hands," This shut her up for a sec. "About a score dead because of me within a fortnight. Even if they deserve it, that doesn't make it easy. It's not my first experience causing death, but I'm not exactly used to it. Alright? Please, just... Cut me some slack," I said. For a moment her expression softened, and she went back to her meal, no longer asking questions. Well, it's a start.

When we stopped again for dinner, she fed me a larger meal than usual. Yes, fed me. It's embarrassing like you wouldn't believe, but she wouldn't untie me and I can't exactly eat with my feet. Course, I'd sooner starve than eat with them, but that's beside the point.

I pretended to lay down and sleep, and when she bought it, Umbra nodded off, Glace in her manacle. Once her snoring started, I opened my eyes and began looking up at the "sky." What I wouldn't give to be able to stargaze right now. It's rather empty up there without them. Wait, what was that?!

Footsteps. I heaved myself up, another thing that's not so easy with your arms bound, and saw four people approaching our campsite. Armed, and looking a bit wild. Please not more bandits... Actually, this could be in my favor at last. "Psst!" They turned to look at me, and one started removing a dagger from his belt. Yipe! "Hang on. I'm not your enemy. Stick me and I'll yell to wake her up!" I used my head to gesture towards Umbra, and they noticed her manacle. One gulped. Good. "Now listen. I just want away from her, alright? I'd rather not be thrown into some dungeon for doing what I want. I've got money, but I can replace it easy. Just cut me free, let me get my things, and it'll be yours. Plus, you'll have a Spider Rider to do with as you please. Personally, I'd rather kill her, but she'd make top dollar in ransom I bet. Well?" Truth with a few twists. That'll keep Verity from acting up, along with any of them who may be good at spotting a liar.

They clustered by each other, and I glanced back at Umbra. Good thing she's a deep sleeper! A couple minutes of muttering, and one of them approached me, then began cutting away my bonds. Perfect! "Where's the money?" Ah, greed. One of mankind's greatest desires, and one of the most pathetic. I rubbed my sore wrists, and gestured for him to stay put. I crept by Umbra and picked up my sword and dagger, but left my bow for the moment. The arrows could shift in the quiver, making too much noise. I lifted up the pouch of money, holding it on the bottom with my other hand to avoid it clinking, and brought it over to them.

"Perfect," For a bit, they clustered back together, and I caught a couple words. Risky, kill, and Rider all came up. Oh, boy. "Yeah, definitely can't risk it. 'Sides, killing a Rider should give us a proper reputation. We'll have folks begging to work for us when word gets out. Come on," I cleared my throat softly, reminding them I hadn't left yet.

"One request? You guys can take the credit, but I want to do it. It's been miserable the past few days. I want payback," A couple grumbled, but the one who'd spoken before shushed them. He gestured for me to go ahead. Five bucks he's too craven to do the job personally, worried she may wake up. Gutless creep. I started unsheathing my sword. "Good. This'll only take a moment, then," As they stood back a couple steps, watching, I raised my sword. I'll admit, there was some temptation to actually do it. More to simply leave her to them. But... The voices clamoring for this were pushy, but weak. I will protect even those I hate, so long as it is right. And while I don't like Umbra, I don't hate her either. I swung the blade and twisted slightly, getting one of the idiots. His head and right shoulder dropped to the ground moments before the rest of him. "Heh. Not long at all. If you still have 'em, I suggest you boys pray for your souls," I had to keep them quiet so Umbra wouldn't wake up and make a mess of things, but they were useless fighters. Like I said, practically took no time at all.

 **(Umbra's POV)**

I yawned and stretched as I woke up. "Now that was a good sleep," I rubbed the back of my neck and opened my eyes, then nearly screamed. Just a couple yards away from me was a line of freshly dug graves, four of them! I scrambled back a bit before I calmed myself down. But how? Those weren't there when I went to sleep, and I didn't hear anything that would've woken me up, much less a fight. Who-?

"Morning," I looked at the ashes of the fire and saw Aadyn sitting there, untied and with his arms covered in soil and his weapons next to him, cleaning a bloody spot off his shield. "I kept the noise down. Figured you didn't want to be woken up. You're welcome."

"How are you untied? Who did you kill? Tell me!" Did a family pass by on the road? Merchants or travelers? Wait, no. The graves each had a weapon set on top, though one rusty sword was in pieces.

"Four bandits of some sort paid a visit after you hit the snooze button. I tricked them into untying me, and did to them what they'd have done to you. Again, you're welcome. I made breakfast. Well, made isn't totally accurate. I didn't cook anything, but I put something together. Here," He set down a plate of food, biscuits and fruit. "I already ate, so once you're done, we'll get going again. But I'm not letting you tie me up. Alright? Deal?"

I looked at him and felt my jaw trying to go slack, though I didn't let it. He'd tricked and killed four men without waking me up, than made breakfast after all that's happened the past few days? Why would he... "I guess you are the person Lumen and Sparkle sent me to find, then," I sighed. It's gonna cause me physical pain to say this next part. "I'm sor-"

"Don't even bother. It's my own fault I got in this mess, and we live with the consequences of our actions. Or die, as they learned last night," He jerked his head at the line of graves. But that's what really scared me. He'd finished them easily, and could have done the same to me without breaking a sweat. Maybe that manacle- "Hello? Umbra, you in there?" He leaned forward and knocked on my head like a door. Come on, who does that?!

"What is with you? I feel bad about what I did, and you do something like that?" He backed away, chuckling.

"Kinda part of the point. Don't start feeling bad about it, alright? My momma raised me right after all. That means telling the truth and accepting the consequences of what I've done, good or bad," He had a fairly joyful gleam in his eye that wasn't there yesterday. Did killing those people actually improve his mood? When he's actually cheerful, it's kinda infectious. Didn't expect that.

"Fine. Then if your horse is any good, we should be at Arachna by tomorrow. Once we're there, you can get some good consequences," But as I said this, his smile dropped. "Seriously? Does being recognized for your achievements bother you that much?"

"Why wouldn't it?! Look, ever since I was a kid, I hated it when someone thought they were better than other people for any reason at all. It scared me that I might end up doing the same someday, so I started making myself hate being proud about anything. I forced myself to not ever care about my looks, I avoided getting acknowledgement for things I did. I started telling myself that everyone else is more important than I am, that I don't matter when other people are involved. It works out fairly well, but people keep on trying to mess it all up, telling me to start caring about certain things or accept praise. Freaking morons, all of them!" He shook his head and a snarl sounded, making me look for a wild animal before I realized it'd come from him. Jeez.

"Well I have orders, so you've gotta come back. After that, you can take it up with Lumen," I said. He mumbled something I couldn't hear, then got up and began making sure his horse was ready to ride. This guy makes absolutely no sense. I ate the breakfast, then let Glace out of my manacle, explaining the situation beforehand to prevent trouble.

"... I am sorry about last year," His voice cut through the quiet as we made our way to the city. I looked at him and noticed he was gripping his reins so hard that his entire hands had turned bone white. Did he really feel that bad about it? "I am an Earthen. Just a couple days before we ran into each other, I'd woken up here. No warning, or clues about why I was here or how it'd happened, not even wearing the same clothes I'd slept in," He clutched his necklaces at this part. "I was alone in the woods. I climbed a nearby tree to get my bearings. But the sky above me wasn't that of my home, but a world I'd thought made up, with one of the storied heroes in my sights. I wanted to go and introduce myself pretty badly, but... I needed answers first, so I tried to avoid you and Igneous," Wait a second!

"You were the one who avoided us then?" How was he not injured when I first saw him at the market fighting Magnus? That tree was practically torn in half. He must've broken every branch between him and the ground. "How did you get away?"

"I figured you guys would be coming to check out the noise, so I walked a ways out away from the tree, then retraced my steps going backwards. When I heard you two, I ducked behind a tree. After a couple minutes, you guys were far away and I took off in another direction, eventually running into Sparkle," He stopped for a second and looked up at the sky. "Actually, that makes it more because of you two than me that I was there to help. I likely would've gone another direction if not for running from you. Guess that means I'm off the hook!"

"Yeah, not gonna be that easy. Nice try," I chuckled at his crestfallen expression before I noticed something. Don't ask me how I could tell, but I think... "You're faking that look!"

He looked at me, surprised. "Huh. How'd ya figure it out? Normally people can't see through one of my masks."

"Your what?" I looked at Glace for help, but she seemed as confused as I was.

"It's a metaphor I use. Long time back, I... What started it isn't important actually. But I decided to start exaggerating or repressing certain aspects of my personality depending on the circumstances, and carefully put on acts meant to make people think what I wanted them to. It's pretty easy. Usually the biggest part is figuring what will work and what won't. It's how I fooled those twits last night. I used some twisted versions of the truth to tell them a story that made them think I was on their side. I also manipulated their own desires against them. They were obviously greedy, so I offered to give them my money. And when they decided to take you outta the picture permanently, I used their being scared of you. They were all too eager to let me be the one to cut you to pieces. Then, when they're ready for a show, they get their final act instead. It's actually really easy to manipulate people, which is sad. Doncha think?"

It's actually really easy to manipulate people... Seems I'll need to be more careful about how I evaluate him. "How much practice do you have with doing this?"

He sighed. "Far, far too much... About five years, I think."

As I was about to ask more questions, he pulled out his knife and began using it to clean underneath his fingernails. "I know, I'm liable to lose my fingers like this. But when I get bored, I get twitchy. One thing I'm trying to quit doing is bite my nails when I'm bored. Means I've almost always had no nails over the past few years, which can work havoc on your grip. If you wanna keep talking, I'd rather a different subject. Any suggestions? Glace, you got any?" Now that's a surprise. Many people admire battle spiders, but they're often also mistaken for no more than beasts of burden.

"Perhaps you could tell us about what you were doing over the past year. Umbra's been dwelling on it quite a bit. She tends to be good at figuring people out. But she could never figure you out. It's bothered her a lot."

"Glace!"

"Well he's been awfully honest today. I thought we could respond in kind. Besides, I know you're curious about it."

"You-! You-!"

"Haha!" Aadyn burst out laughing, holding his stomach with one hand while he used the other to keep from falling off. "You know, you two should have discussions like that in public and charge admission. It's a riot!" As I glared at Glace, he got his laughter under control. "There's not really much to tell, but tell I shall, then," As we continued on our way, he told us what he remembered, answering our questions readily.

 **(Aadyn's POV)**

I resisted the urge to poke my sore thighs and check for blisters when we set up camp that night. I'd been too busy with other issues being on my mind before, but now I had fewer distractions, so my legs, nowhere near used to riding, were now able to properly voice complaints. "Ugh... Bloody heck," I said, unintentionally applying a faux British accent to the phrase. Stupid Ron Weasley and Harry Potter. Every time I've used that comment of his over the years, that happens. Why must I be so malleable? "Stupid saddle sores... I am buying a carriage next time I'm on the run, even if they do stand out. Or maybe if cars existed here," I dismissed the last sentence almost instantly. I hadn't thought about it before, but since the Inner World doesn't really have an actual atmosphere, I doubt it'd survive the kind of air pollution that's produced even by a small town over the course of a single day. If I found out anyone's working on tech along those lines in this place, I'll dissuade them ASAP. Even if the necessary methods turn out a bit extreme.

"Next time you run off, I'll ask Lumen to put you in the dungeon." I looked at Umbra and couldn't tell if she was joking or not. Whoa, boy.

"Hang off now, once Lumen gets that mess outta the way, I'm gone. Not like he's got any reason to keep my ugly mug around after he so called thanks me for helping his sis, is there?" To my surprise, her mouth opened for a small second like she had something to counter that, then she shook her head and shut it. "OK, I'll just ignore that for now and think up escape plans. I've dodged you before after all. Provided I'm not saving your sorry hide, I'll lose you in two shakes of a rattlesnake's tail. So, still think I'm sticking around?" She glared at me before focusing on lighting a fire. "Thought so."

We set up a watch schedule, with me getting the first watch, and I was supposed to wake her up after a certain amount of time or if trouble shows up. Makes sense. After dealing with those twits, we'd be total fools to not be more careful. Course, I hadn't overlooked what she'd done. After all these years, I've learned a few things. The first watch was reserved to the person deemed lest trustworthy, usually. And I could tell Glace was listening pretty closely. They weren't idiots, and they weren't taking chances either. Much as I'd like to try and find a way to make them trust me more, maybe handling the whole watch myself, bad idea. Besides, I'm not nice enough to shortchange myself on sleep. I'll leave that to those stupid enough to be gentlemen. Well, let's just get this all done, yeah? Then I can focus more on figuring out how to not wish those bandits had eviscerated me rather than the other way around. If only there were some way to duck this mess.

They'd never let me bolt, I know that. And Glace is way faster than Verity, so yeah. Why don't I have any luck beyond near death experiences? Then again, looking back on some of the close calls I've had, even from before I ended up here, I really owe my ability to cheat death. Without that, I'd have died before I even started school. Like that time my neighbor tried to drown me, or all those times I ended up around poisonous snakes. Yeah, I think I'll be more thankful of my ability to duck dying...

Pulling out my device, I popped in one earbud and started walking around the perimeter of our camp, sword and shield in hand. "...you won't ever break my fire, my dreams won't die if I high five the sky, spread my wings take off it's time to fl-" I heard something and whirled to face it, my sword pointed directly at... some kind of small mammal? It gave me a look that said I wasn't scaring it before eating a bug clutched in its paws and scampering into the night. I shrugged and continued muttering the lyrics. "Nothing will bring me down. No retreat when I leave all my fears behind, my future's still alive inside. Take a chance to chase my doubts away, believing gets me through my darkest days..."

After a few hours, I stifled a huge yawn that almost dislocated my jaw and shook Umbra awake before laying down. I kept one earbud in still, and sleep took me in a blink. Guess the sandman is being nice to me for once. Maybe my luck is improving. My last thought as I fell into soothing darkness was that whenever I think things are gonna be good in the future, it turns out significantly worse than usual, without fail. Guess being in other worlds won't stop me being cursed, will it?

My old home again. I couldn't see the person with the hood, though. How could that person have been in my dreams? But those scars on his hands, I'd know them anywhere. A force of destruction that wishes to be more... "Hey, ugly! You here? I know this is isn't a-" I stopped. I can never tell I'm dreaming until I wake up, though. No matter what happens, the possibility never crosses my mind until I wake up. That's how I figured if something ever happened and I thought I might be dreaming, I would know I wasn't. If I could tell I was dreaming, then... "HEY! What in the name of all things is going on here?! I know you're here! Where else would you be, huh? After all, you can't go anywhere else!" A throat cleared behind me, and I jerked back my elbow to hit him, but my arm was grabbed and wrenched behind my back in a painful position. "Quick little jerk... Alright, let go already."

My arm was released and I turned to face him. His hood was back, pulled especially low over his head to mask his face again. "True, I can go nowhere else. My fate is bound to...this," he said in disgust, waving an arm to indicate the world around us. Something I hadn't noticed last time was that all the color was slowly fading to various grays, and a lot of things had been torn apart, including my old house. The door looked like someone had blasted it with a cannon, and a section of roof was gone entirely.

"Take the hood off. I know who you are, after all. Now quit wasting my time and tell me what in the heck's going on, twit," I said. A sigh, then he lifted the hood, revealing a hideous face I'd seen from time to time my whole life.

"Happy now?" my double said. "Considering our aversion to mirrors, I figured the less you saw of your own ugly mug the happier you'd be."

"What is all this? I know it's not a dream." I tapped my foot and waited for an answer. When my doppelgänger just stood there without saying anything, I grabbed the largest of my sticks, a huge one a foot or so taller than me and thicker than my leg that I referred to as a battering ram, and swung it at (him/myself?) as hard as I could, but (he/I? OK, let's just assume this guy counts as someone else, cause this is getting all kinds of loopy and I don't wanna rust my mental gears again. So, he) caught it effortlessly. "What the heck, worthless?! How are you so much stronger than me? You are me!"

"Almost, not quite. You've had dreams like this before, even if the circumstances are different. Remember your theory about deja vu?" I know what he's talking about. Sometimes when things happened or I heard people say things, I felt like I'd been there before, even if it was the first I'd realized that they'd happened in my dreams, sometimes years beforehand. It seemed strange for a while. Then one day I heard that apparently if people were to use a larger portion of their mind, they could see the future. Here's the thing. The part of our minds we can't access are still there within our subconscious, and what part of our brains run when we sleep? So I began considering the possibility that sometimes in our dreams we end up seeing the future, even though people usually don't remember the details. But that's what I view as a factor for when people experience deja vu, maybe even the entirety.

"So what, you're my future? Hello, I'm in the Inner World! And look around. There's no way something like this would happen." Another sigh. Jeez. Please tell me I don't sigh that much...

"Not quite. At the moment, you're simply interacting with your own subconscious while somehow remaining aware. Rather strange."

"Just give me a straight answer and quit using excessive vocab. You sound like a pompous windbag," I said. I know I like high temperatures and have big lungs, but am I really that full of hot air?

He huffed. "Very well. You've pointed out several times that a person is made of numerous aspects personality wise, and the more drastic differences are practically different people. I'm a part of you made up of some of the major parts of your character. Better?"

"Much," I said before thinking back. Force of destruction, obvious self loathing, seems to hate everything else too. "Man, you make up some of my main components, doncha? Except you're not paranoid and scared of everything." Fear, hate, insanity, brutality, self loathing, darkness, despair, destruction, and loyalty are basically all you need to create me. With the exception of loyalty, all those traits are constantly with me, loyalty showing about 2/3s of the time. Pathetic, yeah, I know.

"What you see around you is no more than a possibility that vanished not long before you were sent to the Inner World, something you knew deep down you would likely cause one day. I dwell here mainly because it suits me. But I ended up trapped, tied to it. Make no mistake, I am still a part of you. But you have often had daydreams about being split into several different versions of yourself while you retained all aspects of who you are, and that carries much weight here. There are dozens of us. But since I'm made of your true character, it's easier for you to communicate with me. Of course, I don't fake understanding how it actually works, so that's all I can say," he finished, then let out a strangled yelp when I kicked out, placing my foot between his legs. Harder than it looks when you're behind the guy, I found out.

"If you were the real me, you'd be howling like a wild animal and attack everything in sight. I'd probably already be dead or wishing I was. You just proved you're lying to me, so talk or I'll let you see my true self, got it?!" The words came out in a growl as I placed my foot on his throat. He gave a strangled grunt in response. "Now, talk!"

"I really don't know that much! Most of what I told you was true, ok? I just thought I'd pull the true character card cause I thought it seemed cool! I don't know why you keep coming here, ok?" And there's the cowardice, one of the traits he was missing. Guess not anymore. I noticed one hand reaching for his sword and pressed my foot down, making him gurgle and claw at my foot. I lessened the pressure before nodding in satisfaction.

"Fine then. Any ideas how I stop getting dragged here? Maintaining my facades is gonna get a whole lot harder if I have to deal with reality. I'd rather keep my masks on, which you should know very well," I leaned down and grabbed his sword before I moved my foot off his neck. The moment it was off, he scrambled away and pulled out a dagger.

"You wretched fool! You'll pay for that! Di-Gyaah!" I hit his head with the flat of the blade, knocking him down as he prodded his now bloody temple. I stomped on the hand with the knife, making him let go, before I picked it up.

"If you're part of me, you know how fond I am of torture, and you've got an idea of what I'd do, too. Really wanna try my patience any further?" He shook his head and ran at the smashed door, running inside the house. Good. I saw how terrified he was, so he really does know what ideas I have. Guess he likes having his digits and bones intact. Too bad... Now, why am I suddenly running around in my subconscious when I sleep? What's going on?

 **(Umbra's POV)**

After my watch finally ended with the Oracle Sun brightening, I went over to wake Aadyn up, then stopped when I saw his expression. His eyes were partway open, and filled with some kind of ruthless hatred, like he'd kill anything and enjoy every second. I backed away and tripped, almost catching my clothes on the still smoldering fire. What was it he said before? It's actually really easy to manipulate people, which is sad. How do I know he hasn't been manipulating me? How else can I explain such a contrast? A joking boy my age trying to get by in a world he doesn't even come from, or something that's barely human and full of hate? It doesn't make sense.

"...chains...back on...keep...control..zzz...seal myself...awa-" A huge yawn cut him off. Chains? Control? Seal him away? What's he talking about? But then he continued. "Seal myself, can't be myself. Have to... Have to keep myself in check. But how? Self control stretched too thin, the chains are snapping like dead twigs. Need to lock my true self away somehow. How?" As he started muttering about mending the chains, slowly the rage faded from his expression and his voice quieted. "The most difficult path. I have to hold firm to it, and I will. Fulfill my wish, and still be me. Somehow." Then he stopped talking and slept peacefully, before snoring hard enough to make me lose my balance and fall over again.

Brushing dirt off my clothes, I held up my manacle. "Did you hear that, Glace? What's he talking about?"

"I don't really know. He's strange. I'd say it's because he's not from the Inner World, but Hunter's nothing like this. I just don't understand any better than you do. I'm sorry," she said. I sighed and lowered my arm. At least I learned one thing. Aadyn can't be trusted, there's something wrong about him. I'll just have to find out what.

"...Lumen can't tell him about the manacle. Something would go wrong, I know it. But we can't let him leave, either. We have to keep an eye on him, and be close by in case drastic measures are needed."

 **(Aadyn's POV)**

I shifted uncomfortably in my saddle as we rode into Arachna. I wasn't just bothered by the whole acknowledgement mess, though. When I woke up this morning, Umbra was acting weird and I keep feeling like she's waiting for me to start foaming at the mouth. People have sometimes told me I talk in my sleep. Did she hear- no, that couldn't be it. If she'd heard that, I'd either be tied up again or executed. Probably dead.

"Lady Umbra, you've returned! Prince Lumen's been waiting," a guard said. Gesturing with the weirdly designed spear, he pointed down a hall I recognized as my former escape route. "The festivities involving the Invectid visitors have been postponed until your arrival. The rest of the Spider Riders are all here, as well."

"Thanks. Tell Prince Lumen that I'm going to show Aadyn to where his quarters will be and then I'd like to speak with him alone. And be sure to tell him I have more information about the brigands." The guard bowed and signaled something, which brought a young servant of some sort running up. He relayed the message, and the kid ran off. I dismounted Verity, and one of the guards used her reins to lead her to a stable near the gates. I followed Umbra, and ended up at the same room I'd left before.

"Seriously...? Talk about coming full circle."

Umbra clearly wasn't in the mood to joke about it. "Stay here this time, or else. I need to speak with Lumen." I sighed and laid down on the bed.

 **(Umbra's POV)**

I went quickly to the throne room. He was alone, as I'd asked. "Umbra, you seem bothered. What happened? The brigands?"

"That and more. I followed a lead that your runaway guest may have been going back to the town where they met him. When I was nearly there, an army of thieves, at least 300 strong, were in the road. They demanded I surrender to them and attacked when I refused, despite knowing I was a Spider Rider. They nearly killed me when Aadyn stepped in, and helped me escape. We recovered his horse and began making our way back. He soon revealed something, however. Do you remember when a year ago I was waylaid and captured for a short time by a dangerous individual with a handmade raft?"

"Indeed. We spent months actively looking for him, but there was hardly any information."

"He's the same person, Lumen."

He staggered. "What?"

I nodded. "The reason we had no information is because he's an Earthen, arrived mere days before our encounter. He was scared and unfamiliar with our world, though he seems to have heard of it. Apparently he spent that year out in the wilderness, making a life for himself. But he wishes to know how he got here, and left his sanctuary in the hopes of finding answers. This led him to sign on with the caravan as a guard.

"After he revealed how we'd met before, I had Glace tie him and took his weapons for safety. But that night, a smaller group of four brigands approached while I slept. He tricked them into freeing him and letting him retrieve his weapons before killing them all himself, without ever waking me."

"Interesting. He must be a formidable warrior."

"Which worries me. I began to relax around him and got to know him slightly for most of the trip. However, last night I heard him speaking in his sleep, talk of how he had to seal himself away. I'm not quite sure what he meant, but... It scared me, Lumen. He looked so furious as he said it. He can't know about the manacle, he just can't. Considering him as a Spider Rider would be a mistake. There's something wrong with him, I feel it. His eyes were partly open when he spoke, Lumen. Even in his sleep, there was something ruthless there, almost inhuman."

Lumen looked at me closely, noting my genuine fear. "I've already told Sparkle and several of my advisors. Buguese and the other Riders as well. They will expect me to reveal him as a candidate tonight. Sparkle has always been an excellent judge of character, Umbra, even when we all disagreed. How many times has she proved wiser than her years in evaluating others? She trusts him. I will not mention it tonight, but I will also ask Sparkle to keep an eye on him. If she speaks well of him, I'll tell him about the manacle. In the meantime, I will also expect you and Hunter to watch him as well. Perhaps as a fellow Earthen Hunter will notice something about him we cannot..."

I stood there. Lumen didn't understand! That hate I saw... As if he would destroy our entire world. He can't be trusted. And if Lumen doesn't realize that in time, then I'll take matters into my own hands.

 **Sorry about the wait, major writer's block. Things are getting a bit sinister, aren't they? And a bit more than worrying... This warrants some thinking, yeah? Next chapter will focus on the party, no fights, something that's been happening too often. I blame my mild battle mania. It may be a bit shorter than others, but I'll work on it. Later!**


	13. 2nd anniversary

**Hopping right to it! One week left of school as I type this, folks! Not even a full week! Can I get a cheer or two for that? (Crickets chirping) Wow. Seen more life in a snake whose head I tore off. Anyway... I guess TL ain't reading anymore, which stinks, but I still have readers, so for you guys I'll try to not get any more writer's block that bad! Disclaimer: I don't own Spider Riders or claim to. I'm a fan, nothing more. I do own my plot line and OCs, though some credit has to be given to TL for helping me design Umbra.**

 **(Aadyn's POV)**

"Back to bloody square one... When the heck did my life get so weird?" Ignoring Nydaxa in my head, I looked around the room again. Way too grandiose for me... I hate fancy stuff. Wonder if they have the proverb "a wooden spoon is as effective when eating as a silver one" in this world. Oughta check, cause Lumen sure hasn't heard it. After about an hour, someone knocked on the door. "Come in!" Like last time, it was a servant, looking at me like I was going to smash him aside so I could bolt out the door. Seriously? I snuck out last time! I didn't hurt anyone! ...Well, maybe I hurt their feelings... And I feel awful. Why can't I do anything without screwing up? Or, next time someone's about to get torn apart by wild animals, act like a normal person and run the other way without bothering to help. Right, like I could do that if I tried.

"Fresh clothes, sir." I winced and asked him to not call me sir, making him look at me like I'd sprouted wings and a tail. "Very well, mi-"

"Don't! Just... Say fresh clothes for you, or here are some fresh clothes, Aadyn. No lord or sirs or anything like that, please!"

"...As you wish." He bowed, making me wince again, and left.

"You know that's weird for them, right?" I nodded at Nydaxa's comment and began looking over my new clothes. Not too bad. I began changing. "Those bandits..."

"Yeah. Lumen's gonna have to put down a rebellion soon. Though the Invectids may help, but nobody wants to get dragged into another war like that. Buguese will probably want to have them join in, but if they're against it, he'll have to watch as his friends fight alone. Maybe a few people fighting as private citizens. Grasshop is almost guaranteed to help." Neither of us bothered saying what we already knew. I'd admired these people so much when I was younger, and too many innocents were at risk. If this broke out, I'd fight too.

The door opened again, no knocking this time, and I ducked down. What? I hadn't put a shirt on yet! "Yeah? Knock next time, please? I'm dressing here!"

"Then it's a good thing we're both guys here." That voice, Hunter? I managed to put the shirt on and stood up. He'd changed a bit in the years since the show had ended. His clothes had obviously been outgrown, and he was wearing different clothes. His hair was shorter and less spiky, though he still had the headband. His manacle was visible on his wrist, and I wondered if Shadow was inside. Naturally he'd gotten taller, too. "It's nice to meet you, I'm Hunter Steele. So, is it true? That you're an Earthen, like me?"

I did my best to not seem star struck. What, I really admired him as a kid, OK? "Uh, yeah. I don't know how I got here, though." He hummed and looked thoughtful, his expression just like the show when he was thinking but didn't get it. Aweso- OK, quit being a fanboy right now and focus you lackwit!

"Well I came through this old temple following instruction left in my grandfather's journal, trying to get here." And your manacle was inside the temple, and you saw the Oracle Queen on the way here. "Did you go anywhere strange?"

I shook my head. "I just went to bed as usual, and suddenly woke up here in some of my other clothes with this thing and earbuds in my pocket." I held out the little device and he took it, looking it over.

"That really is weird... Did you sleepwalk, maybe?"

"I never have before, and besides, my clothes might've changed but I woke up in the same position I'd slept in." He handed me the device back.

"Well this is way over my head." You and me both. "Anyway, I'm supposed to show you around a bit before tonight. Anywhere you want to see?"

Hmm. "The training area?" He groaned and led the way. Guess he still prefers napping.

"Pick up the pace! If we do possibly have an armed uprising in the near future, you have to be at your peak. You! Your spear is too low. Give me another 30 thrusts, higher this time!" I could hear the poor sap groan as we walked in. Still, 30 more isn't too bad unless you're completely new or already worn out. About 50 soldiers were training, all with those weird spears, and Igneous was on a walkway above them. He hadn't changed much, though I suppose not everyone would be completely different. Seems his personality was similar too. Wonder if that includes all the girl trouble? "Ah, Hunter! Here for some more training?"

"No way! I was just showing Aadyn around!" He shoved me in front of him and I got the feeling he was hiding behind me. Igneous looked me over.

"I'm surprised you'd show him here, then. You tend to prefer to avoid the possibility of training."

"He asked me to show him the training area, so I did."

"He did? Interesting." He continued analyzing me, I think. "So, it was you who brought us news of these bandits as well?"

"Myself and a guard from a caravan I'd signed on with. We were attacked by a large group, and the sole prisoner we captured revealed that there was an army's worth more, many more."

"If you captured one, why hasn't he been placed in our custody?" There's definitely suspicion in his tone. Why? Oh I get it, he's wondering if I'm involved with them. Bother...

I mimed firing a bow. "He tried to escape, even though tempers were still high and we were on edge. Myself and several others who were upset about being woken up so late shot him."

"A shame. Perhaps we could have learned more from him." Doubtful. I had him pretty scared. Unless something didn't cross his mind, he told me everything. "Did he have a troop estimate?"

I shook my head. I'd asked him something similar. "He couldn't count, he just said many, an army's worth at the minimum."

Igneous sighed and glanced over at the troops who had been training, who had been listening and some of which clearly seemed worried. "But most of the ones I fought didn't seem to be the best fighters, and despite several attempts to ambush or hide from us they failed." I chose to not mention the large group I'd helped Umbra get away from until the soldiers couldn't hear. "I defeated several myself, and they had a much larger group than us."

"I see." He nodded lightly in thanks. So he knew what I was doing, that's good. "Perhaps you could demonstrate some of your skills, then?"

"Well, I guess, sure." Igneous led me to a rack of training weapons. Picking a sword I liked, I followed him to the arena they'd shown a couple times, like when Hunter fought Stags. I suppressed a chuckle remembering Sparkle dragging in a tied up Grasshop. The soldiers and Hunter came along as well. Now how's this gonna go? He'll probably have me square off with one of his troops, since they're the ones we're trying to boost morale for. Should I hold back and give them confidence or...

"I don't suppose you mind fighting me, do you?" I stiffened, even as the soldiers near me became more excited, one even cheering. "So I can see for myself." Scratch holding back. I'm up against one of the best warriors in the Inner World, even at my best I doubt I'll make him break a sweat. It way beyond my limits.

Beyond my limits... Then let's surpass them. "I guess not. I know I won't be much of a match, but don't hold back." I gripped the hilt of the practice sword and approached, stopping a few yards away from him. I bowed and clasped one fist into my palm. Noticing the odd looks, I sighed. "It's the way I was taught, respecting your opponents in a more formal setting."

A few seemed confused, but Igneous seemed to appreciate it, cause he bowed as well. I smiled and nodded my thanks. "I understand you're not from around here." Of course he'd know I'm an Earthen too. Least he's not just saying it where just about anyone could hear. "It'll be interesting to see your style." A shout from Hunter signaled for us to begin.

Igneous didn't waste time, sprinting towards me, his expression focused. But at the same time, just a bit relaxed. Makes sense. He's confident. Still, he should've let me come to him. I may be fierce when attacking, but in a situation like this? Defense is my specialty, at least for the very start. Besides, I want him to get close. His first blow was a thrust, which I sidestepped around before batting it further away, a kick aimed for his elbow already almost there. He jumped back to avoid it, even as I let momentum spin me so my sword came at him from above. He batted it aside, and evaded an elbow sent his way. Even as I continued, I remembered a way someone had once described my style. _"When you're fighting with Aadyn, he's relentless. Each blow leads into the next. By the time the first strike is halfway to you, the second's already started, and by the time the first hits, the third's almost halfway there."_ No chance to retaliate or properly establish your defenses. A fight is about momentum. If he can't do anything, the fight stays in my favor. Still, he was holding up well, and while he did seem surprised, he wasn't as worried as I'd like. The soldiers had gone quiet when I first started, but as he continued defending, not one blow landing, they cheered. Finally, after avoiding my knee in his stomach he managed to move far enough away to make me stop. We were both panting a bit, but me more than him. He's one of the more experienced members, and while I don't know his age I assume he was early to mid twenties on the show, and he was probably fighting already when he was young. Since knights would start off in their preteens in our world, if that's true here he's barely been fighting longer than I've been alive. He's still pretty young too, so unless I can miraculously recover stamina, he'll always outlast me. Need to rethink. Because he uses a lance when he fights as a Rider, he probably thrusts a lot for his attacks. How to use that? I can't just keep stepping around them...

"Pay attention!" Noticing I was thinking, he came at me again, and I knew my rush of strikes wouldn't work this time. He must've not realized I was still fully aware of the fight. Lucky me. Like I expected, he came in with another's thrust. I sidestepped again, unsurprised when he followed up with a fierce swing, far faster than I'd anticipated however. I bent backwards, ducking underneath then swinging my upper body back up and forward hoping for a head butt, but he jumped back and, faster than I could respond to, pressed the tip of his wooden sword on the back of my neck. "Do you yield?"

"Obviously. I lost." He stepped away and I stood back up. Then I changed how I was holding the practice sword so I was gripping by where the "blade" met the hilt, offering said hilt to Igneous. A gesture of respect. He seemed surprised, but smiled and grasped the hilt. "That was a rough one. I think I learned a few things. Hope we can do this again sometime."

"As do I. Those constant attacks are almost impossible to defend against." I let out a huge breath and began walking back to the training area. "Hold on a moment." I turned and faced him as he began addressing the soldiers. "We need to be ready. Him believing the enemy to be weak doesn't mean as much as I'd hoped. Even so, we can and will defeat them. To do that, we need to keep getting stronger. Work hard, train all that you can, until you can't stand anymore. With enough work, you could make our skills in that battle look negligible. There is always room for improvement. Pair off and begin sparring." Seeming more determined now, they began doing as ordered before Igneous and Hunter came over to me.

"That was awesome! You're way more skilled than I thought you'd be, Aadyn!" Gee, thanks... He seemed not to realize how that sounded. "Not many people can press Igneous that hard. I'm glad you're on our side." I looked at him questioningly. "You're going to help us fight this, right?"

"Well yeah, but-"

"No buts about it then!" Heh. Not too different, if any.

"Hunter, take this more seriously. Umbra told me about the large group she escaped looking for him. There were hundreds. We can always hope that's the main force, but based on Aadyn's report there's many more. Our army is barely half the size it was when the Invectids were our enemies. Even if they help, this won't be easy. And Buguese can't guarantee that they will be willing to send troops to aid us. Hopefully the messengers we sent to Nuuma will have more luck."

"...You're right to be worried. Their army may number in the thousands. And they have leaders, I don't know who, but they're powerful. That was all the bandit I questioned knew." The mood became much more somber as Igneous told us he'd see us tonight before heading back to his troops. I wasn't really in the mood for a tour anymore, so I just asked Hunter to show me where the feast would be so I could find my way later and went back to my room. Even he was subdued a bit.

"Hopefully Nuuma will help..." I sighed as Nydaxa spoke up.

"We don't know, do we? The best idea would be to proceed as if they can't help until they know, to a man, how many people they send."

"How about to a woman?" I stay silent for a moment at his response.

"Could you not think about chasing girls for once? Honestly!"

"There's nothing wrong with it." I growled and he retreated.

"Oy vey... Why'd he have to be girl crazy?" There's more to life than hormones after all.

Several hours later I made my way to the place where the feast was being held. It was pretty extravagant, but had an informal feel, which helped me relax. I saw Hunter looking a bit uncomfortable, sitting between Corona and Aqune, with Magma on Aqune's other side.

All three of them had grown up a bit. Magma's hair was longer, and he had a new scar on his cheek. He'd also swelled up like a tick! He was half as big again as he was in the show! His poor chair. Even more so seeing how much is on his plate, though Hunter had the same amount.

Aqune had a huge smile on her face, and looked like she did it a lot. Like Buguese, she's probably happier now that life has improved for everyone. She'd gotten a bit taller, and had a lean but muscular build. She was trying to offer Hunter some of her food, and it seemed like Magma was teasing her about it, because she blushed and glared at him, even as he burst out laughing.

Corona had gotten taller too, and her hair was no longer in a ponytail. Her shoulders were broader, which made sense since she's an archer. Using a bow as much as she does is a sure fire way to build your upper body. She seemed to be trying to scoot closer to Hunter, but she also kept shifting back to her original spot with a blush and muttering angrily to herself. Seriously, she's still having trouble admitting to herself she likes him?

Igneous was talking to his friend. What was his name, Slate? I'm not sure if that's right or I'm getting it mixed up due to Slade's name. I hate my bad memory.

Umbra was talking to a group of people our age, but she noticed me coming in and kept an eye one me for some reason. I pretended not to notice. I hadn't exactly earned any trust yet. Buguese, Grasshop and his family were sitting by Lumen at what I'm guessing was the VIP table. Sure hope I don't have to sit there. Everyone seemed pretty happy, which made sense. At least until the imminent conflict was better known.

Hold off, where was-? "There you are!" Figures. I turned to see Sparkle standing next to me with Hotarla next to her, quite a bit bigger than in the show, half as big as Shadow had been. "Come on, you're sitting with us!" She grabbed my arm and began pulling me along. I hope we're not sitting at the VIP table...

I sat at the VIP table...

Once I was there, Lumen asked everyone to settle down for a moment. Once they'd gotten reasonably quiet, he began speaking. "We have two reasons for tonight's celebrations. The first is our Invectid guests visiting to celebrate our friendship." Several people cheered, the Riders loudest, though I noticed a couple of men in expensive looking clothes, probably nobles, who seemed upset by this fact. "Buguese, anything to say?"

He stood up. "My thanks, Lumen. And to all of you as well. I realize some people will never forgive for our war, both human and Invectid. Even so, it has ended. I am glad to let it rest. All that came of our fighting was misery. I once hated the humans and battle spiders more fiercely than most. Even the Oracle Queen herself. But that was wrong of me. I blamed you all for my people languishing in a barren home, with no light and few comforts. Again, that was wrong. I have realized that now, as have most of my people. I'd like to thank you for your forgiveness, and for your willingness to help us when the war ended. So long as I live, I vow that humans and Invectids will never again be enemies." He sat down, to even louder cheers than Lumen's speech. Even one of the nobles who'd been upset about it looked less angry, though his friend's scowl deepened.

"Well said, my friend. I, too, make this promise. Together we shall ensure our people will never again be enemies!" He waited for everyone to quiet down. "Now, the second reason we're here." Bugger, hoped he'd forgotten. "One year ago, my sister Sparkle was injured and alone in the woods, her manacle lost. A group of wolves closed in on her, ready for a meal, when she was rescued. A young man, only a couple years older than her armed with only a broken branch killed one wolf and injured another, sending the survivors running. Then he helped her recover her manacle so she could call for help from her fellow Riders. He asked for no reward, even attempting to refuse them, and asked she claim nobody helped her. Now, only a few days ago, fortune brought him here to be recognized and acknowledged for his actions. Aadyn, please stand up." Shaking and with a dry mouth that contrasted starkly with my sweaty palms, I did so. "He's shy, so please be a bit more gentle with your cheers everyone. Aadyn, I thank you for aiding my sister when she needed it, as does all of Arachna. Though I doubt you'll accept it, should you ever need something, please just ask. For now, you are my guest and will stay in Arachna castle. Your ship you left behind before coming here will be brought to the city for you as well. I hope you will accept my hospitality for at least a while." I gulped audibly, earning a few quiet chuckles and nodded, then threw myself back into my seat, ducking my head so it couldn't be seen over the table, shaking and gasping for air. "And now, let us enjoy our evening! Continue on, everyone!"

I stayed down for several minutes, then slowly sat back up. Beside me, Grasshop chuckled. "You shouldn't be so scared over getting thanks. I'm the great and mighty Grasshop!" He held out his hand and I shook it, noting how hard and smooth his exoskeleton felt. So strange compared to human flesh.

"He's just shy, Uncle Hop. He's really brave, actually!" Sparkle piped up from my other side, and both of them began talking to me. Slowly I calmed down and gave proper answers, rather than squeaks and gestures. When I went back to my room a couple hours later, I'd cheered up quite a bit.

 **(With Lumen)**

I looked over the people I'd invited to my chambers. "So, what were your impressions of him?"

Hunter spoke up first. "He doesn't know how he got to the Inner World, and it clearly bothers him. Besides that, I'm pretty sure he knows something he won't tell us. But he seems worried about the army gathering out there too. If something happens, he'll help us."

Next to speak up was Igneous. "He's a skilled fighter, and very aggressive. But his style stressed respecting your opponent, and I can tell he finds honor very important. He reminds me of Stags in some ways."

"Even if he were an enemy, he could never gather followers or any kind of command. He's too timid when others are involved. He seems frightened of the idea he might be rewarded by you as well." I agreed with Grasshop's assessment.

"Though if Umbra's correct, then promising to assist him was a rash thing to do, Your Majesty." Igneous also had a point with that.

"I'm aware of that, but I doubt it. Something about him... I trust him. Even so, I want you to continue watching him, get to know him a bit. If he's not a threat, then we'll likely need his help soon. Perhaps even sooner than we fear."

Man, nothing like a self imposed deadline. I wrote almost all of this in just 2 hours! So, we got the big party out of it, and they're starting to get to know me. Still, things are getting hectic and we can all tell. Wonder what gonna happen next? I can't wait, can you?

 **And today is the 2nd anniversary of this story, and of me writing on Fanfiction. I need to get to work on my other stories soon. I fell way behind due to that writer's block. I underestimated just how devastating it is... So, tell me what you all think and if you have any ideas!**


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